Little God of Mischief
by fan girl 666
Summary: On the anniversary of the Chitauri invasion the Avengers get a call saying that the God of Mischief has once again appeared in New York. Anticipating a fight the Avengers are shocked to find that their enemy has mysteriously been turned into a child. Now they must figure out what happened to Loki or secrets from the past and new enemies could destroy them all. REVISED & RE-POSTED.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the Avengers, Marvel or anything else in story just the plot idea.**

Chapter 1

STARK Tower

Today marked the five-year anniversary of the Avengers victory against Loki and the Chitauri. After their first anniversary was such a big success the team had decided to make it a tradition of getting together in STARK Tower for a celebration of their first victory together. Over the years fighting and getting to know each other better they'd all grown closer and were now like a weird messed up family rather than a quote 'time bomb'.

And although there were many difficult battles throughout those years filled with regret and loss the Avengers had also grown from them both as heroes and people as well.

Natasha and Steve had started dating two years ago, though the couple was usually divided between SHIELD and the Avengers they still remembered to take time for each other and relax. Natasha even had her own room set up in Avengers Mansion for when she came over since apparently working for SHIELD meant she had to live where they told her to when not on an assignment.

Steve, however, had decided to take up permanent residence in Avengers Mansion and over the years when he wasn't out saving the world you could find him teaching a self-defence or mentoring art classes to kids around the city. And like the typical boy scout Steve used what little money he earned to pay rent since instead of living off of Tony's money.

Clint much like Natasha bounced between SHIELD and the mansion and had tried his hand at dating. The archer had gone out with a SHIELD agent named Barbara "Bobbi" Morse. They were only together a short before deciding to split up, Clint had said they had just drifted apart over time. A few drinks and a red head less the truth came out, Clint spilled that Bobbi had been severely jealous over his partnership with the Natasha and demanded that he chose between them. When Clint hadn't been able to choose between his partner and his girlfriend Bobbi dumped him.

Bruce like Steve had taken to living in Avengers Mansion full time, the first two years were tough though you would barely find Bruce off the property outside of missions since General Ross and his Hulk Busters had taken to making camp practically outside the front gates. Thankfully the unit had been dissolved and the gamma scientist granted amnesty, barring any further non-Avengers instances. Bruce had been so happy to finally have a place to settle down and found that Tony was right when that STARK Tower's R&D labs were like Candyland.

Tony had come with Fury to deliver Bruce the good news and offered him a job right there to help cure people who had been altered by gamma radiation, like Blonsky and Sterns. STARK Industries had given Bruce a budget and lab so he could hire a group of scientists of his own choosing and to work together to prevent any more gamma villains from being born. To make it even sweeter Tony had Pepper contact Betty Ross to inform her about Bruce's freedom. A few hours later the pair were sharing a tender reunion together and Bruce's department gained its first employee.

Thor was still coming and going between earth and Asgard, the Bifrost had been fixed not long after the Avengers first victory as a team with the help of the Tesseract allowing the God of Thunder to come and go as he pleased between the worlds. Though when not fight you could find Thor with Jane Foster, they had been officially together for 4 years and according to Darcy a trip to Asgard to meet his parents was in the works.

Tony was still Tony and nothing it seemed could ever change him, not even the passage of time. His relationship with Pepper was still as solid as ever, he even had JARVIS discreetly help him look at rings for what he explained to Steve was saving for just the right moment.

Over the years the corporate couple had finally worked out the kinks the of running STARK Industries and having a relationship. Tony would stay in his lab at the Tower or his home in Malibu and invent and review inventions for the company and come in for meetings whenever his presence or signature was needed. Pepper, however, would handle the day to day matters of the company because as Natasha joked one day 'if Pepper can handle Tony Stark, a multibillionaire dollar corporation should be a walk in the park'.

Currently, the Avengers were gathered in Tony's penthouse living room for a party at STARK Tower. Tony and Pepper were snuggled together on a loveseat well Tony talked with Jane, Bruce, and Betty about science and the new things that Stark Industries had developed that could help further their research. Pepper never one to miss a business opportunity was trying to convince the astrophysicist to come work at Stark Industries permanently.

Thor and Clint decided to have a dart throwing competition near the bar to test their accuracy against each other, currently, Clint was winning. Steve, Darcy, and Natasha had come together to watch the competition but somehow ended up chatting with each other, though no one wanted to know exactly what they were talking about at the bar.

Although they were celebrating none of them got drunk, not even Tony fearing that today would be the day they all dreaded happening. On the two years anniversary Thor came down to warn SHIELD and the Avengers that his brother had somehow escaped from his prison and his whereabouts were currently unknown. Even after all this time, the Avengers weren't about to let their guards down fearing the trickster might suddenly jump out of the shadows in seeking his revenge.

"Sir Director Fury is on the line." JARVIS voice spoke from above breaking up the happy mood of the Avengers party.

"Put him through JARVIS," Tony answered pulling away slightly away from Pepper to give the Director his attention.

"Stark we have a situation, and it's a weird one." Fury's hologram said appearing in the center of the room.

"Can't SHIELD deal with the supervillain of the week," Tony retorted back at the Director. "I mean we were having a party here."

"It's not a run of the mill super villain Stark," Fury hissed causing all the Avengers to immediately freeze at the tone. "Its Loki, he's in Central Park."

"My brother?" Thor asked lowering his dart silently praying that this wasn't a cruel joke. "But he has not been seen in quite some time, are you sure it is him?"

"Eyewitness accounts say someone wearing green and gold armor with a horned helmet suddenly walked into an area of Central Park and began doing magic a few minutes later." Fury explained.

All the Avengers automatically placed whatever they were holding down and started making their way towards their respective rooms to change and gather their gear.

"We'll be there as soon as possible Fury keep us informed if anything happens." Tony said making his way to his small armory to suit up.

"Just do this quickly and quietly Stark I don't need an incident on today of all days." The Director said in a final tone before breaking communication

When all the Avengers had gathered what they needed they started to make their way to the roof where Natasha and Clint's plane was parked. After the couples exchanged some quick goodbye kisses, even Clint getting a peck from Darcy for good luck and everyone was buckled in Natasha nodded to Tony and Thor through the window. Both of the men nodded back before took off towards the park as fast as they could fly well everyone else proceeded to follow after them hoping that it wasn't already too late.

Central Park Entrance

"Uh guys, is it just me or is nobody fleeing in terror?" Iron Man pointed out not sure if he should be concerned or happy by the lack of screaming people and explosions.

Thor nodded in agreement. "You are correct Man of Iron no one seems afraid, it is very peculiar."

"So, does anyone have an actual plan on how we're going to do this." Clint asked since nobody seemed to be coming up with anything.

"Hulk, Thor and I should go in from the front and try to see what Loki is up to and talk him down if possible. Hawkeye and Widow you two go around back and find some trees to give us cover fire in case things turn ugly," Captain America offered before looking at everyone who nodded in agreement. "Tony you fly ahead and direct us to Loki location and come in as backup when we make contact."

Double checking that their comms were all linked up the team broke apart each making their way into the park following Iron Mans directions as the inventor scanned from the skies.

Inside Central Park

After making it through half of the park Tony informed the rest of the three men on the ground over their comms that Loki wasn't too far up ahead causing them to tense up and slow down preparing for the worst. However, when they got to the edge of the trees they weren't however quite expecting the scene in front of them.

Children and their parents were sitting in a circle around a figure in gold and green with what appeared to be butterflies flying above their heads, in a second all the butterfly's converged creating a large dragon that breathed fire towards the sky. Captain America tensed ready to throw his shield when he noticed something odd the dragon wasn't attacking the families in front of it but instead was doing aerial tricks for the people in the audience who just clapped at the display.

"Is anyone else seeing this?" Hawkeye asked in disbelief.

"You mean Loki putting on a magic show for children and the parents." Black Widow answered.

"No, I'm seeing it too." Captain America said telling the assassin's that they really weren't hallucinating.

"That dragon doesn't look too tough." Hulk added watching as the dragon did one last barrel role in the sky before disappearing in a ball of green smoke when the people cheering Loki took a small bow.

"Guys, are you saying that Loki, the guy who tried to make all the people of the world kneel before him is putting on a magic show for kids and their parents?" Tony chimed not believing what he was hearing.

"Aye Man of Iron my brother is doing just that." Thor replied a little smile crossing his face and the scene before him thinking that maybe his brother's disappearance has changed him for the better.

"Avengers we should start moving in before he starts to do anything dangerous to those civilians," Captain America ordered feeling torn between wanting to protect the audience and joining them. "Tony you should move in as well."

Coming out from their hiding position behind a small hill the three heroes made their way over to the crowd as Tony started his descent from the sky hopeful to glance a bit the show before Steve broke it up.

"Alright everyone we need you to move back from its dangerous." Steve called to the small crowd of people.

Taking a few moments to realize who it was the parents quickly got up and started gathering their children before jogging quickly away from the superheroes not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of whatever was about to happen. Looking back to where the green and gold figure was Captain America saw the horned helmet was also walking away from him and his team following along with the crowd of people.

' _Is it just me or is he shorter than last time we saw him.'_ Captain America thought noticing that Loki's towering figure had visibly shrunk, even at this distance it wasn't hard to miss.

Hulk reacting to the retreat quickly reached forward and grabbed the back of the green cape the lifting said person attached to it back towards them. "You going somewhere puny god."

A scared pair eyes met Hulks own gamma green ones once turned around, it was Loki alright but at the same time not Loki at least not the one the Avengers knew. This Loki was younger and couldn't have been any older then ten maybe but what shocked everyone the most was his eyes. No longer the ice blue that they had come to associate with him they were instead a vibrant green.

"You got smaller." Hulk said making a confused look appeared on the boy's face. Turning him around once again so that the boy faced the other two Avengers they also couldn't help but stare at the small armored boy in shock.

"Alright I'm here now we can start kicking a- WHAT IS THAT!" Tony exclaimed landing a few feet from Thor quickly opening his helmet to get a better look at the strange sight before him.

"I think its Loki." Steve said still not believing that the boy in Hulk's giant hands was the same insane god they had defeated.

"Yes, my name is Loki," the young trickster spoke for the first time to the men in front of him looking uncomfortable from his position. "Can your green giant please put me down now?

Not use to hearing manners out of a villains mouth Hulk put him slowly and still stared down at the little trickster who had turned around mumbling a small "thank you" back up at him before turning his attention back to the others. Tony simply knelt down on one knee and extended one of his fingers poking the young boy in his side to make sure he wasn't an illusion.

"Brother, what has happened to you?" Thor asked kneeling down next to Iron Man.

"I'm sorry but you must be confused I'm not your brother," Loki said looking at Thor confused not recognizing the man. "My older brother is Thor who is not quite as old as you and Baldur is... no was my younger."

Loki got a very sad look in his eyes when he mentioned the name Baldur but it quickly faded turning to fear when he realized for the first time that these strange men had him surrounded. Quickly seeing the fear enter Loki's eyes Steve motioned for Tony to move back and stand behind the young boy with Hulk hopeful that space would keep the boy calm.

Thor, however, chose to stay standing in front of his brother a similar look of sadness on his face as well.

"No Loki, I am Thor," Thor said placing his hammer on the ground beside him and holding out his hands to Loki as a sign of peace. "I have missed you, brother."

Still not sure what to do Loki simply did what the strange man in armor had done and poked the hands in front of him to see if this was an illusion.

"Are you really Thor?" He asked looking into blue eyes for any sign of deception.

"Yes, Loki I am Thor, how you could not know me?" Thor inquired wondering how different he looked from his younger self.

"You were smaller and less hairy yesterday," Loki explained causing a small smile to appear in the Thunderer's face as well as a snicker amusement from the others. "Have you taken a potion? Mother has warned you numerous times against drinking out of strange vials."

"No Loki I have not taken a potion you have been missing for a long time, but now you are back." Thor said as his eyes misted in unshed tears over the loss of his brother as he pulled the small trickster into a hug.

"I love you brother." Thor whispered softly to the boy.

Loki stiffened at the declaration and he tried to break the strangers hold on him screaming. "No … no, you lie! Thor doesn't love me who are you!"

"Loki what are you saying, of course, I love you," Thor asked holding Loki out a little from his arms trying to figure why his brother was in distress from his confession. "You are my brother."

"NO!" Loki yelled placing his hands on Thor's chest as he continued to push. "IT'S A LIE THOR HATES ME, HE TOLD ME HIMSELF!"

Suddenly a large gust of wind burst forward from Loki which blew Thor and Avengers away with great force. Seeing the men down Loki quickly start to run away from them making his way towards across the field towards the trees.

Straight into Hawkeye's waiting arms.

 ***Authors Note***

 **I'm revising my earlier chapters hoping that I can draw on some inspiration in order to finish the story. For those of you who reviewed my previous version of this story, I'm sorry that my revising and reposting deleted all your wonderful reviews and hope that you will do me the honor of posting new ones to tell me what you think of the changes.**

 **Please review the chapter when you are done and tell me what you thought of my revised story. Help re-build my confidence as an author *puppy eyes***

 **Your reviews not only feed me as an author and my inspiration but every reviewer gets a cyber cookie as a reward.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own the Avengers, Marvel or anything else in story just the plot idea which does not follow the cinematic timeline. Seriously this was written back when the first Avengers movie came out.**

Chapter 2

"Hey Widow." Hawkeye said watching from his tree as Iron Man and Captain America went to stand next to Hulk. Unfortunately, he still couldn't get a clear look at what was going on, Thor with all his Asgardian muscle was still blocking his view.

"Yes Hawkeye." Natasha replied not having a better luck from her tree then Clint was.

"You notice anything weird about what we're seeing?"

"You mean besides our teammates backing up from who I can only assume is Loki without Loki first attacking them." Natasha responded moving up to another branch to try and catch a better glimpse of their target.

"Yeah, that too but didn't Loki look I don't know … smaller?" Clint asked looking through his scope trying to figure out what was different about the trickster. He had only caught the briefest glance of a horned helmet before Thor's red cape blocked his view.

Black Widow looked back at the scene in front of her through a pair of binoculars. Thor was kneeling down now but she still couldn't get a good enough view. Only by sheer luck was she able to catch a look at of gold over the top of Thor's shoulder, was the trickster perhaps kneeling also? Was Loki perhaps hurt enough that his magic show had been some sort of a call for help? And if so, why come to the very people who had defeated him?

"He could be the one kneeling this time Clint." Natasha offered hoping it would soothe over some of Hawkeyes still bleeding wounds from his time as a mind slave.

"Loki's not the type to kneel," Clint hissed fingers tightening around his scope. "He could be dying and would still stand on his feet if defiance."

"Maybe's he's changed," Natasha said not even believing her own words. "It has been five years."

"Loki will **never** change Widow, you know that." Hawkeye growled thinking back to what the trickster had done to him. The things he had done, and the people he had killed still continued to haunt him even to this day.

Natasha wanted to say something but wasn't sure what she could that would help Clint. Even after all these years and many hours with trained SHIELD therapists Clint was unable to let go of the anger he felt towards Loki. Thankfully Natasha didn't have to worry about 'ifs' and 'maybes' because some large invisible force blowing her teammates backward grabbed her complete focus. Whatever it was that had thrown everyone back seemed to have come from Loki because the trickster took off towards the trees where they were located not a second later.

"Hawkeye he's heading your way." Widow noted making her way down the tree so she could back her partner up wondering why Loki was not attacking the others like he normally should have.

"I still owe him an arrow to the eye." Hawkeye grinned already having an arrow loaded, now all he needed was one clear shot.

"Do not shoot. I repeat, do not shoot. Loki a kid."

Cursing Steve's timing Clint returned his arrow to the quiver and waited until Loki came close enough to his tree before he jumped down and grabbed the so-called 'kid'. A surprised cry caught Clint off guard his prey changed from the flight response to fight as they clawed, bit and twisted in some effort to get free.

Not wanting to take the risk with those sharp looking horns Clint trapped the squirming body as tightly as he could with one arm well his other hand made quick work at removing the helmet located on their head.

Making sure he had a firm hold of their wrist Clint let the trickster go so he could get a good look at whatever game Loki was trying to play.

"LET ME GO!" Loki cried trying to kick the stranger holding him.

"No." Hawkeye said simply watching as the trickster's small legs kicked nothing but air. Thankfully he was just a little too short of making contact because the kid was sporting a pair of metal looking boots that would have hurt if kicked with.

"You … you're with those men, aren't you?" Loki cried tears falling from his eyes as he clawed the hands holding him having given up on kicking his captor. "I will not let you hurt me!"

"You deserve everything you get." Hawkeye snarled making Loki stiffen up for a moment before going completely limp.

The only warning Clint got was a small sniffle before Loki broke out into full hysterics right there in front of him. Not wanting to be caught by Thor making his little brother cry the archer brought the boy into an awkward hug. Loki, in turn, grabbed onto Clint's shirt like it was his last lifeline well he continued to speak. Although he couldn't make out everything the words _accident_ , _sorry_ and _Baldur_ were repeated over and over again.

Natasha came out from the tree's one eyebrow raised at the position she had found he partner in noticing that Loki flinched as soon as he saw her. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Clint answered warning her silently not to tell anyone that he was comforting a crying supervillain. "Where are the others?"

"I told them to hang back," Natasha explained looking at the child who was holding onto the archer tightly. "Thor seemed really eager to chase Loki down again."

Loki gave a quick cry of alarm at Thor's name before trying to escape again making Clint hang on that much tighter in response. "Calm down."

"N-no you're in league with Thor, you want to p-punish me." Loki stammered pushing his arms against Clint's chest trying to escape the man's hold. It would be so easy to escape the mortals grasp but Loki didn't want to hurt the man, Midgardians were frail compared to the rest of the realms and one wrong move could lead to their death.

"Why would he want to punish you?" Natasha asked speaking directly to Loki for the first time.

Turned towards the woman and looking her in the eyes for a moment Loki dropped his gaze and whispered. "Because of what happened to Baldur."

"What happened?" Natasha inquired wanting to know what could scare Loki so badly, even if it was nothing this could be information she could use for a later date.

"You won't believe me," Loki insisted biting his lip and shaking his head. "Only mother and father believe me."

"Kid we have special powers; we know when people are lying." Clint spoke in a surprisingly softly tone. Letting go of Clint sat down on the ground in giving Loki his undivided attention. Like Natasha, he was also curious about what had Loki so scared but his reason for wanting to know was a little more ego-driven then hers was.

"I have that too," Loki confessed looking at both the assassins with amazement. "Do you really promise, really promise that you'll listen?"

"We promise." They both said in perfect unison.

"Baldur …," Loki started quietly wiping tears away from his eyes. "Baldur was my little brother and I … I killed him."

The pair instantly stiffened at the declaration but made no move beyond that.

Noticing the looks on their faces fear crept onto Loki's face once more. "But it was an accident, I would **never** hurt either of my brothers I love them."

"What happened?" Clint asked as Natasha from her leaning position against the tree discreetly pressed on her communicator making the conversation known to the rest of the team hoping they would hang back until the pair could get the whole story out of Loki.

"Baldur started having bad dreams about dying, nothing Thor or I would make him believe that they were just nightmares so he went to see our mother," Loki started to say recalling how scared Baldur had been, even going so far as to sneak into one of his brothers room every night when they woke him up. "Mother went on a long journey and made everyone and everything in all the realms to swear a holy oath so that nothing could harm to him. When she came home and told us the nightmares stopped and we all thought she had succeeded."

"But something changed didn't it?" Natasha asked having an idea where the oath could lead to problems.

"Baldur became reckless, he was thirsty for battle since nothing could hurt him now that he was invincible," Loki explained noticing the pair shared a strange look between themselves. "I tried to warn Baldur that shouldn't let his guard down, he just laughed at me saying that I was jealous that he was no longer a weakling like me."

"I was so angry when Thor agreed with him that I called him a fool dove into my magical lessons then a couple of months ago Thor suddenly burst into my chambers when I was making a potion," Loki looked down at his hands remembering how the ingredients that had spilled on them still stained them no matter how many times he tried to wash them off. "He started going on and on about how he and his friends had discovered a new game that I absolutely must join them."

"Thor grabbed my arm and dragged me down to the weapons room just in time for me to see Sif throw a dagger at Baldur. I cried out to warn him but when it suddenly dropped to the ground before hitting its mark. I was so glad Baldur was all right when Thor suddenly pushed another into my hand telling it was my turn."

Loki could still see it clear as day Baldur standing against a wall face twisted in a savage grin as he goaded his older brother. "I didn't want to throw it, I really didn't but they all started mocking me."

' _Peer pressure.'_ Clint and Natasha thought at the same time each knowing this story in one form or another and where it would lead to.

"I just wanted them to stop so I threw the dagger Thor had given me but it didn't stop like it had with Sif," the tears that had been building up were now falling freely as Loki became lost in the tragic memory of his brother's death. "B-baldur he just fell to the ground … we thought he was making a joke but he didn't get up. T-thor and I rushed to him and saw that was b-bleeding we shook him but he wouldn't move."

"One of the palace guards came in and saw us and called out for help before pushing Thor and I away from Baldur, everyone just looked at me and the guard asked me what I had done. I-I ran, I ran to the library I remember thinking maybe there **had** to be a spell there that could heal Baldur _._ I searched for hours before father found me he dragged me to Baldur's chambers." Loki shuddered remembering the furious look Odin had on his face when he found his son in the library but that was nothing compared to his mother's face.

"Mother … mother was sitting on Baldur's bed crying and father demanded to know what I had happened. When I told him that I didn't know he struck me demanding that I tell him the truth," Loki raised a hand to his check remembering the phantom pain from the strike. "Mother cried out begging father not to hit me again yelling to him that I had sworn the oath just as everyone else had."

"Mother hugged me and told me to tell her everything that had happened before Thor had come to get me. When I told her I was working on my potions and spilled some of the ingredients mother looked so afraid and father yelled at me demanding to know what sort of sorcery I had been playing around with."

Loki shook his head now crying with full force. "It was a present for him, I just wanted father to be safe so I was making him an amulet I didn't know about the mistletoe … I didn't know it hadn't sworn the oath."

"I'm sorry … I''m sorry …" Loki fell towards the ground curling up into himself as he apologized over and over again.

Whatever story the SHIELD agents had been expecting it certainly wasn't this, sure they had heard this same story or one similar to it a lot over their many long years of service but it never got any easier. And to make matters worse Loki's trauma was still so fresh in his mind so they would have to be extra careful when handling him in case he changed back into an adult suddenly and remembered what he had shared.

Moving slowly over towards Loki as though he were an abused animal Natasha knelt down and hugged the boy in some attempt to console him. After who knows how long Loki slowly uncurled and even reached his arms back around to hug Natasha back.

"Loki what happened next?" Natasha asked wanting to hear the end of the story.

"Thor," Loki whispered hugging the woman tighter. "He found me later, in my chambers and started hitting me … he just wouldn't stop hitting and yelling, calling me a murder. I tired to tell him that I loved Baldur to, that he was my brother as much as Thor's but he pinned me against my wall and told me that I wasn't his brother, that I was monster. Thor swore that he hated me and that he would never stop even when Ragnarök came he would hate me from this life to the next."

"What happened after that?" Clint asked angry with Thor over what he had just heard.

"I stayed in my chambers in order to heal, I didn't even go to the Baldur's funeral because I was so scared what Thor would do it if he saw me." Loki answered shivering a little at the thought of what might have happened to him if he had shown up.

Natasha frowned looking concerned. "Didn't your parents try to find out why?"

"No," Loki said shaking his head solemnly. "They thought I was still in shock over what had happened to Baldur. Whenever they came to see me I would cast an illusion over myself so that they wouldn't worry."

"What happened afterward?" Clint asked.

"People started to look at me funny and say things behind my back," Loki replied sadly. "They had always said things thinking I couldn't hear them but now they didn't even seem to care about that."

"Loki, what did they call you?" Natasha asked causing Loki to look up at the women with what she could only describe as pure heartbreak.

"Some called me a monster or a murderer," Loki explained shivering as he thought about the cold eyes of the Asgardians who called him that. "The worst name though is Liesmith."

Now Clint was angry at Odin for being so stupid and obviously not stopping Loki's tormentors before he grew up to be the city destroying piece of garbage. "Didn't your father explain what happened to everyone?"

"Yes," Loki replied rubbing his eyes in a vain attempt at stopping more tears from falling. "But they all say that I have tricked him and mother into believing it was an accident."

Hoping to change the subject to a more current for of questioning Natasha had to ask. "Loki how come you're on Midgard?"

"I just wanted to escape for a little while so I went to the Bifrost and asked Heimdall to send me to Midgard," Loki explained looking ashamed. He knew that a warrior shouldn't run away from battle no matter what its form but he just couldn't take the whispers and stares anymore. "I landed a few yards from here in a small clearing I was on my way back there when you caught me."

"And the magic show?" Clint asked.

"There was a little boy crying, I just wanted him to smile," Loki said suddenly a little afraid about what he had done would get him into trouble again. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no it's cool we were just curious," Clint assured the boy before holding his hand out in peace. "My names Clint but you can call me Hawkeye. I believe you when you say what happened was an accident."

Loki hesitantly took the offered hand giving it a shake showing the archer a small smile.

"I'm Natasha and I don't your lying either." She said as Loki gave her an even bigger smile then he had Clint.

"It's nice to meet you Hawkeye and Lady Natasha, did you know that your hair is the same color as my mother's most beautiful roses." Loki complimented causing Clint to snicker softly when a small blush appeared on Natasha's cheeks.

Smacking her partner in the shoulder Natasha pointed off towards the other Avengers and looking at Loki. "Hey, if we promise to stay with you will you come with us to meet our teammates."

Turning around Loki saw that it was the four strange men from before. Loki looked back at his new friends who smiled in assurance before they got off the ground and made there way back towards the others.

 ***Author's Note***

 **When Baldur died here are everyone's ages.**

 **Thor, Sif and the Warriors: 13**

 **Loki: 12**

 **Baldur: 11**

 **Clint might seem a little out of character but I don't think he could be mad a kid, especially after the story Loki told him. Also, I exaggerated the actual story of Baldur to suit my story and if anyone is wondering the mistletoe spilled onto Loki's hands stopped the oath on the dagger from working when he threw it.**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought. A special shout out to BabyGhost123, DricabannerOdinson, Eris, Guest x 2, killuanatsume, locky3670, Lost frost Wolf, MickeyMarceline101, noukinav018, TheGirlWhoLikesTooMuchStuff2.0 and Twilight56 for sending me reviews.**

 **I'll see everyone next week when I post the latest chapter of Little God of Mischief.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own the Avengers, Marvel or anything else in the story just the plot idea.**

Chapter 3

Laying on the ground Steve stared up at the sky marvelling in how blue it was today when his girlfriends' voice broke through his musings with harsh reality.

"Hawkeye he's heading your way."

"I still owe him an arrow to the eye." Clint responded sending a jolt of fear down the captain's spine with all venom held within the words. Pressing on his comm as quickly as possible Steve hoped he wasn't too late in saving Loki from the archer's wrath.

"Do not shoot. I repeat, do not shoot. Loki's a kid."

The seconds seemed to stretch of forever before Steve heard a cry of surprise from the other end. Having done enough missions in his life Steve prayed that he was right in assuming that cry was from someone getting grabbed suddenly and not getting shot.

There was nothing but silence after that until a groan from Steve's right reminded him that he was not alone on the ground.

Tony slowly sat up, faceplate open as the inventor winced in pain. "That kid just kicked our collective asses. Here's hoping no one with a camera was around, Pepper would hate to have another PR nightmare on her hand so soon after the last one."

"Aye, my brother has always had powerful magic," Thor cringed as he rose to his feet. The older god had truly forgotten that sheer magnitude of his brother's power and this was just his level as a child as an adult Thor couldn't help but wonder just how formidable his younger brother truly was in battle. "Be glad you have never seen him throw a tantrum Man of Iron."

"That bad huh?" Tony asked thinking back to the damage from their first encounter.

"Even Hulk would have been amazed at the level of destruction." Thor spoke looking at the green giant who had already risen to his feet.

Hulk just frowned at the thought of the puny god causing more destruction then he could. He was the Hulk strongest Avenger there was, there was no way someone could cause more devastation then he could.

Tony whistled as his imagination went wild. "That's some tantrum."

"Guys Clint's got Loki, I can hear him yelling," Widow's voice came over their comms. "Now will you boys please explain to me, what the heck is going on?"

"Lady Natasha I confess even I no not what has happened but it would appear that my brother has become a child again," Thor stated before becoming concerned as he looked at his fellow Avengers. "Quickly, we must go to him before the Man of Hawks hurts him."

"Clint wouldn't hurt a kid," Tony said grabbing Thor's arm before he could fly off. "Not even if that kid was Loki."

"Besides Thor, I think Loki ran off because of you." Steve added brushing some of the dirt off his legs well Hulk nodded in agreement.

"What would my brother have to fear from me?" Thor asked just a split second before Loki's voice came in over their communicators.

"Baldur started having bad dreams about dying, nothing Thor or I would make him believe that they were just nightmares so he went to see our mother,"

Instantly following silent everyone stood there patiently listening to the story occasionally throwing a glare at Thor for good measure. Once it seemed Loki was finished telling his tale Hulk punched the thunderer hard in the shoulder well Tony and Steve looked disappointed at him.

Thor just hung his head in shame under the stares of his friends acknowledging that what they had just heard was true.

"No offence Thor but I would have tossed your ass back as well," Tony said giving the god a stern look that was usually only reserved for the worst of villains. "Hell, I'm surprised you didn't get chucked to Jersey."

"I- I did not know the whole story," Thor said still feeling horrible for what he had done. "Not until after the funeral."

Now it was Steve's turn to give the stern look. "Did you even apologize?"

"Yes, so many times," Thor insisted hoping his friends would believe him. "Baldur's death … it changed Loki. I know that's a stupid way of saying at it, our younger brother died by his hands so of course, Loki would be different."

Thor shivered as he recalled the coldness that had swept over Loki after Baldur's death, he had become like stone hard and without emotion yet his tongue could still cut you down with few words just as sharply as the daggers he carried.

There were only a handful of times where Thor could swear he saw his younger brother happy, truly happy. Unfortunately for everyone they far and few between and never seemed to last long, and once they were over Loki would be left feeling further away then he had been before.

"This though, it was unlike anything anyone had ever seen, neither the palace healers, Mother or Father could get Loki to talk about what had happened. No matter what we did he kept us all at a distance."

"Scared," Hulks deep voice rang out suddenly causing everyone to look at him. "Loki scared of getting hurt again, put on a mask so he couldn't be hurt."

Thor simply hung his head in shame thinking about all the pain he and the people of Asgard had caused. Knowing about Loki's heritage now Thor wondered if some of the warriors who may have been there when Odin had found the Jouten babe hadn't been fueling the rumours behind the scenes, using them as some twisted form of revenge.

"Hey, if we promise to stay with you will you come with us to meet our teammates."

Clint's voice suddenly broke out over the radio interrupting anything else anyone was going to say. Looking towards the trees the group only had to wait a few moments before the trio exited it. As the trio walked towards them everyone noticed that Natasha and Clint walked one on either side of Loki as if the pair was guarding their smaller companion.

Once everyone was together again Tony couldn't help but laugh as Loki moved to hide behind Clint. "I see you've made a friend Hawkeye."

Clint just gave the billionaire a smirk. "You're just mad that he likes me more than you Stark."

Rolling his eyes at the pair Steve removed his mask and knelt down extending his hand towards the trickster. "Hello Loki, my name is Steve. I'm sorry if we scared you before, we didn't mean to."

Looking unsure of what to do Loki looked up at Natasha who smiled and gave him a nod letting him know that the man was safe. Stepping out a little from behind Hawkeye Loki took the offered hand.

"Hello sir," Loki said unsure of what to do with this strange up and down greeting. Normally when Asgard had visitors from another realm the men would grasp each other's forearms or bow not hold hands. Holding hands was something you did with a lady. "It is a pleasure to meet you but you misunderstand my earlier actions. I was not afraid; Asgardian warriors are never afraid."

Steve smiled at the words thinking to himself that no matter where they were from in the universe kids would always try and make their fears seem like it was nothing. Steve himself had seen this a lot with his art students who would draw things that frightened them and then shrug it off as no big deal.

"Then what were you?" Steve asked.

"Cautious." Loki said simply puffing out his chest to try and make himself appear bigger.

A clear snort from Tony could be heard from behind Steve as an armoured hand suddenly came into view beside him. "Names Tony but you can call me Iron Man, or genius or -"

"- big-headed, or pompous." Clint interrupted smirking down at Loki who in turn laughed well Tony looked hurt placing one hand over his arc reactor.

"Et Tu Tweety Bird."

Soon Tony and Clint dissolved into their usual back and forth game of quips and insults well Steve tried to play peacekeeper. Neither of the three men noticed that Loki had moved out from behind the archer and was slowly making his way towards Hulk. Once in front of the green giant, Loki took one of the Hulks large fingers and tried the shaking gesture that Steve had done with him.

"Hello giant, my name is Loki." He greeted happily.

"Hulk."

Continuing to shake the finger Loki continued to talk. "Is green your favourite colour too? What kind of giant are you? Are all giants as big as you?"

"Loki."

Tensing up Loki looked back and saw that Thor had moved closer towards him well he had been trying to introduce himself to Hulk. Unsure of what to do Loki just held onto the large green finger a little tighter as he looked at Thor. Feeling that grip tighten Hulk narrowed his eyes and promising Thor with his eyes that if he tried anything he would be answering to the gamma giant.

"Loki," Thor began removing his helmet and kneeling down so he could look Loki square in the eye. Loki's own eyes widened at the close proximity but he was too afraid to move, scared that if he did Thor would use his new-found strength and size to grab him and keep him still.

Seeing this Thor just sighed a little and shuffled back on his knees giving his brother a little more space well everyone watched the pair with bated breath. "You might want to hear me but I beseech you brother, please listen to my words. I am so, so very sorry at the pain I have caused you. What I did was wrong and I have no excuse, and if you desire I will leave until you are ready to believe me."

Confusion, pain, grief there were so many emotions swirling inside of Loki right now that he wasn't sure what to do. Thor … his Thor was loud, boisterous and hot-blooded, saying the wrong thing to him could get you beaten up. This Thor still had that stormy passion that lay just behind those eyes but it seemed calmer somehow, looking at him Loki could almost see some of their father in all his wisdom kneeling in front of him.

Taking pity of the pair Natasha came up behind Loki and knelt down and whispering in his ear. "Remember, Clint and I are here for you if anything happens."

Hesitantly stepping forward and taking Thor's helmet from him Loki summoned his own and examined them both. Once he was done looking at them Loki handed Thor back his and smirked.

"My helmet is still better than yours."

All of the Avengers just had to laugh as Thor looked offended at the sheer thought of someone insulting his prized helmet. That soon melted into a smile as Loki wrapped his arms around Thor's neck and hugged him.

' _Loki always did know how to make me smile when I was sad.'_ Thor thought to hugging his brother for the first time in years. "Says the goat."

"My horns make me look fierce well yours make you look like a strutting chicken." Loki countered.

As much as Tony hated breaking up the moment people were starting to gather around the edges of the field pointing towards them, some even having their camera phones out most likely filming the heroes.

"We should probably move this party back to my place." Tony said moving to stand in front of Loki and pointing their audience out to everyone.

"Good idea, why don't you and Thor fly ahead and give the girls a heads up," Steve said following Tony's train of thought knowing that it was better to get this out of the public eye and someplace more private.

"Sure thing Cap." Tony said snapping his faceplate closed again.

"Best warn them Loki's a smooth talker well you at it Stark," Clint informed the billionaire as he gestured over to his partner. "Natasha swooned."

"Really," Tony said amazed that the young boy was able to do what no one else besides Steve had done before. "Then it's settled Loki is defiantly coming with us to STARK Tower."

 **Author Note**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed the revisions made. I know Loki forgiving Thor so easily might seem strange but I thinking about it with Thor's 'I didn't do anything wrong' attitude as a child it would make sense that Loki would always be the one to take the plunge when apologizing …. Unless Frigga got involved then Thor would have to apologize no matter what.**

 **I'll see you all again sometime next week and please don't forget that your reviews let me know how you feel about the chapter, good, bad and constructive are all welcome, whether this is your first time reading or you read my original work and want me to know how you feel about the revision.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the Avengers, Marvel or anything else in the story just the plot idea.**

Chapter 4

Avoiding the onlookers and their camera phones slowed the group down considerably. Today it seemed like everyone and their mother was out and wanting a picture with their favourite hero.

Then there was the problem of the parks security cameras which in the past had caused the Avengers more harm than good. All it would take was one more security guard uploading a video and SHIELD, the army and who knows how many other domestic and international agencies would be beating down their door to get their hands-on Loki.

Loki's current size was causing some trouble, try as he might the trickster's legs couldn't keep up with the adult's pace. Thor had offered to give him a piggyback ride only for his brother to look horrified at the mere suggestion.

"I am a prince of Asgard. I do not need to be carried."

"Not even by your own brother?" Thor asked.

"It is because you are my brother Thor that you should understand better than anyone," Loki answered trying to make himself look taller, not an easy task for one to do when they were walking beside The Hulk. "If I am to stand next to you as your equal I cannot have you treating me like you would a babe."

"Just let it go Thor," Clint said slapping the Asgardian on the shoulder trying to wipe the pitiful look in his face. "You would probably be saying the same thing as Loki if you were his age … by the way, Loki how old are you anyway?"

Loki frowned as he went over the numbers, midgardians lived such short lives compared to the rest of the nine realms that age was tricky to narrow down the right number. Of course, Loki could give his asgardian age but he doubted that what Clint meant. "By Midgardian standards … I believe I am twelve of your years."

Everyone looked at Thor wanting confirmation that the boy they had all assumed was younger indeed correct. With a happy nod, Thor placed his hand on Loki's helmet ignoring the swats disapproval from the younger as he spoke.

"Aye, soon this mighty warrior will be going on his first solo hunt."

The group continued on their way happily to the front gate Loki using the time to map out his whole strategy for bringing something truly amazing back as a prize to Hulk. Thankfully the area around the quinjet was civilian free when they reached the entrance so they wouldn't have to answer any awkward questions about what they had been doing or whom they were bringing aboard.

Clint and Natasha made their way quickly disappeared inside to run a diagnostic on the ship well the others stayed outside. Using the opportunity Thor asked Loki once again if he wouldn't like to fly back with him to the tower rather then in the jet.

"But Thor you cannot carry Lady Natasha, Clint and myself all at once." Loki answered causing Hulk to laugh so hard that he started to change back to Bruce without realizing it.

Thankfully Steve was able to catch the scientist before he hit the ground well Loki started to worry that something was wrong with his new giant friend.

"Do not worry Loki that it Bruce Banner friend Hulk's other form," Thor explained as Steve carried the unconscious man inside the plane. "When we are not in battle Banner prefers to return back to this form, he finds he breaks less scientific equipment that way."

"Scientific what?" Loki asked looking confused.

"Will be sure to have Tony give you the full nickel tour once we reach the tower kid," Steve said coming back out to secure their final passenger before looking over at Thor. "Clint wants to know if you want to bet on who gets to the tower first."

Thor looked immediately interested. "His wager?"

"If you win he cleans your armour for a month, but if we win you bring some of that ale back with you on your next trip to Asgard."

"Agreed." Thor said stepping back a few feet before shooting off into the air.

Laughing Loki quickly followed Steve into the strange ship allowing himself to be strapped in before he heard a large roar and the vessel lifted from the ground intent of catching and beating Thor to their destination.

STARK Tower

"Do you think they're ok?" Jane asked looking out the window again. "We haven't heard anything from them, right?"

"I'm sure everyone's fine Jane." Betty assured the other woman placing a hand on her shoulder trying not to let her own worry show.

"Tony better make it back safe or he'll have to answer to me." Pepper said taking a sip of her drink from her seat at the bar.

"You got him on a short leash huh Pep." Darcy joked to the woman.

"Almost nonexistent." Pepper said looking at the younger women who snorted into her own drink at the mental image of Tony in a collar well Pepper held onto a small leash.

"Hey, I think I see Tony." Jane's voice rang out stepping out onto the balcony.

The rest of the women quickly followed wanting to get an idea of what had happened between the Avengers and the resurfaced God of Mischief. Tony stood there letting robotic arms rise and start to stripping away his armour a great big smile on his face.

"Is everyone ok?" Betty asked looking at Tony never knowing quite what to make of that look.

It was the same one he had given when she had caught him and Bruce after one of their experiments had failed leading to a what he called 'a small miscalculation'. Small her right foot, the lab had been shut down for nearly a week well the cleaning crew cleared the slime out.

"Yup, they're on their way back right now with Loki," Tony answered watching as the four women tensed. "But don't worry I doubt he'll be a problem."

"He's not hurt, is he?" Jane asked looking concerned.

Even though Jane had never met the man in person and couldn't forgive for everything he had done she still recognized that Loki was an important person to Thor. That didn't mean she wanted him to show up for dinner once a week but if dating Thor meant Loki popping up every once in a while, then she could live with that.

"No, but he's certainly different." Tony answered cryptically.

"Different, like hey I got a tattoo different or look I have real horns now different?" Darcy asked remembering the picture SHIELD had shown her and Jane of Loki's capture in Germany. It had been their first real look at the man and Darcy was unashamed to say that she asked if she could have his helmet.

"Loki's a kid," Tony answered holding his hands up to where Loki had stood. "About ten we think."

All the women just stood there for a moment processing the information, Pepper being the first to ask how that was even possible.

"Not sure but we can try to figure that out later," Tony said silently ushering everyone inside for a drink before the rest of the team could arrive. "First we need to figure out what to tell Fury."

It had taken the others all of ten minutes for the rest of the team to get from the park to STARK Tower. Everyone could hear Clint and Thor arguing as they came inside followed by the others.

"Admit it we totally beat you." Clint gloated.

Thor gave Jane a quick kiss before turning to the archer. "You are mistaken, it is my victory."

Both men stared at each other well Steve took the opportunity to lay on the sofa next to Betty who instantly moved his head in her lap. Rolling his eyes at his teammate's childish behaviour the captain looked up.

"JARVIS?"

"Victory in this matter belongs to the quinjet," the AI stated causing Clint to holler in joy. "Though Mr. Odinson you were very close behind. However, your near miss of the large office building down the street delayed you. May I suggest that next time you go around the building instead of up towards the sky."

Taking the opportunity to high-five each other Clint and Natasha barely noticing as someone slipped behind them intent on avoiding attention. But the women didn't miss Loki and took to staring at the young god with open interest.

Moving aside dramatically like a showman opening a curtain Clint looked down at his shadow with an encouraging smile. "There's nothing to be afraid of, they're just girls."

Natasha punched him in the arm for that mumbling about how she was also a girl well Loki looked unconvinced. "Sif's a girl too but that doesn't mean she's not scary. In fact, all women are terrifying when you make them mad they are just cleverer at getting their revenge."

Nodding her approval as well as taking the initiative Pepper walked towards Loki kneeling down so they were eye level. "Hello Loki, my name is Pepper. It's nice to meet you."

Loki gave a small bow to the woman as he smiled shyly. "Lady Pepper it is an honour to meet you, your hair shines like a sunset."

Clint just gave Tony an 'I told you so look' at the little god's compliment towards the Iron Man's girlfriend well Pepper blushed in response.

"That's very sweet of you to say Loki," Pepper said not used to being flattered so sincerely or directly for that matter. Tony could be romantic when he wanted to but for women reason he always sounded like he was trying to sell her something when he was. "You know my friends and I aren't as scary you might think; would you like to meet them?"

"All right."

Walking around the room Pepper introduced Loki to each of the women. And for each woman, Loki gave a unique compliment. Betty was told that her eyes twinkled like Asgards night sky, Darcy had a smile so beautiful that it lit up the room like a sun and finally Jane who well nervous about her first interaction with Thor's brother was quite surprised when Loki told her that her eyes reminded him of a sapphire amulet Thor treasured.

"Can we keep him," Darcy whined hugging Loki tightly as she pouted up at everyone. "Think of all the free stuff we could get releasing him upon unsuspecting women."

"Darcy." Jane scolded well trying to get the heat on her face to die down.

"Seriously Thor," Tony asked having watched in awe as someone who technically wasn't even half his age just charmed four of the toughest women on the planet. "Does Asgard teach classes in charm or is this a natural thing."

Loki looked at Tony in confusion. "Mother says when meeting a lady, one should always pay her a compliment with your first thoughts. Otherwise, anything you say will sound false and you may find yourself battling against her bladed tongue."

"And as if your one to talk about charming women Tony." Pepper reminded her boyfriend.

"Ah but now I use my power for good," Tony smirked wiggling his eyebrows at the others. "Charming talented scientist is not as easy as it looks."

"How about you use that power on Fury then Stark," Clint said watching with envy as Loki was pulled into another tight hug against Darcy's chest. "You know he's bound to show up sooner than later."

"You are correct Agent Barton," The AI's voice rang out just as the elevator dinged. "Director Fury and Agent Coulson to see you, sir."

 ***Author's Note***

 **On Asgard magic is used mostly by women so I figured Loki must have spent a lot of time around ladies and seeing how Frigga was more prominent in his life then Odin she made sure to raise her son to be the gentleman.**

 **What did everyone think of the compliments? I tried to make them as different as possible.**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought of the revisions.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was almost eerie how Fury and Coulson were able to time things, at some point everyone had wondered if the men were secretly psychic or supernatural in some way. Thor even asked Coulson once if he to was a seer like his mother, the agent had responded with a secretive smile and still hadn't answered.

And as amazing as Nick Fury Director of SHIELD, secret agent and a man who battled against some of the world's greatest threats long before the Avengers had been formed well keeping most of the crazy from spilling over into everyday life for the longest time was he now felt uneasy. The Director had immediately found Loki held within Darcy's arms and sent the boy his most powerful glare hoping it would put an end to whatever trick he was playing only to have it returned a by five equally powerful pairs of eyes.

"Good job Nick, you scared him." Tony congratulated sarcastically amazed that within such a short period of time Loki had managed to turn all the women in the room into his own personal bodyguards. Even Natasha was glaring at the Director, something nobody had never seen before.

"Need I remind you what he's done?" Fury growled at the billionaire trying not to appear concerned in the slightest at the glaring women. Though Coulson seemed a little put off by them though and he took a cautious step away from his boss.

Loki just lifted his head with a confused expression looking at Darcy. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No Loki," Thor answered kneeling down next to the pair. "I will explain to you what Director Fury means in time. First, however, is how much do you remember what mother and father have taught us about meeting foreign leaders?"

Loki nodded as he quoted his mother. "That when they arrive we should always greet them with the proper respect and introduce ourselves accordingly."

"Yes," Thor said pointing at the two new arrivals. "These men are a part of an organization that protects Midgard; perhaps it would be best to introduce yourself rather than having me announce you like the royal herald does."

Nodding slowly Loki simply walked over to the two men. Straightening himself up and standing like father had shown Loki tried to make sure that he didn't falter under the weight of mortals gazes.

"Greetings protectors of Midgard," Loki bowed making sure it was just low enough that he could still meet the eyes of the men. "I am Loki Odinson, second prince of Asgard. Son of Odin Allfather and Frigga Allmother. Brother of Thor and Baldur. It is an honour to meet you and I hope that both our realms will find friendship and prosper working together."

Standing up straight again Loki extended his arm towards the agents. Not wanting to appear rude Coulson took it surprised that instead of a normal handshake the boy grabbed him by the forearm and gave it one good solid shake before releasing it.

"Hello Loki it is nice to meet you my name is Phil Coulson," he said smoothly waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I'm an agent with SHIELD, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

It was strange for Coulson he had for the longest time wanted to meet Loki again, it wasn't that it wanted to gloat about puny ants defeating a god … well maybe not just to gloat. There was just something, something about Loki's plan that didn't add up quite right with the agent. Despite his doubts, though Coulson had never talked to anyone about it, firstly he didn't have any evidence to support his theories and with Loki's disappearing act it wasn't like he could talk to the trickster himself and find out the truth from him.

But maybe now though he could start finding some answers to his big questions that had plagued him since the Battle of New York.

Fury just started at the hand when it was offered to him like it was a bomb before giving it a firm shake himself. "Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD."

"It is an honour to make your acquaintance Agent Phil Coulson and Director Nick Fury of SHIELD." Loki smiled giving one last bow before he turned around and walked back over to Thor asking if he had done alright.

"You were perfect Loki." Thor answered giving the boy a pat on the back.

Thor silently thanked the Norns that everything had gone smoothly, he had for a moment been worried that the Director would try and bait Loki taking away the older gods chance to explain things to his brother properly. Wanting to avoid another confrontation like their first on the Bifrost Thor knew that he had to tell Loki everything, and by that he meant **everything**.

"You sure you want to do this?" Jane asked.

Thor looked at Jane calmly once again glad for her uncanny ability to know what he was thinking. "I must, it is unfair otherwise."

"You sure this is the best idea Thor?" Fury asked looking down at Loki and having a good idea about what was about to happen.

"I vowed once to **never** lie to my brother again." Thor replied taking the small hand in his own and leading the trickster down the closest hallway much to Loki's confusion well everyone else crossed their fingers and prayed.

Spare Room

When they entered the room Thor quickly guided his brother over to the bed well he pulled a chair over so that he was sitting directly in front of Loki.

"Thor, have I done something to offend Director Fury?" Loki asked confused about what was going on. It didn't take a genius to see that the one-eyed mortal was angry with him.

"Yes and no," Thor said looking into his brothers' green eyes. "Do you remember earlier when I said that you have been missing for a long time?"

Loki nodded.

"Well you see during that time you've been gone someone has cast a spell changing back into a child," Thor explained as best he could even though magic had always been Loki and Frigga's domain rather than his own. "The truth is Loki you're really an adult like me."

Loki just took a moment processing the information before firing off questions. "Then why am I a child? How long have I been gone? Why was I missing in the first place? W-"

Thor held his hand up silencing the boy instantly. "You have been missing for three years and I know neither where you have been or why you are in this form. And well I promise you I will not rest until these questions are answered there are more important matters we must discuss first."

"Loki," Thor began wishing he had his mother's gift for seeing into the future so he could know whether or not he was making the right choice. "Loki you are my brother and no matter what I will **always** love you. But the truth is that you are not the blood son of Odin and Frigga."

Loki felt as though the ground had suddenly caved in underneath him hoping he had heard Thor wrong.

"At the end of the last war with the Fr- Jotun Odin found more than just the Casket of Ancient Winters in the temple, he found a small infant also. You Loki were that infant."

Loki could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes but did his best to stop them from falling as he looked at his br- no Thor seriously. "Then why do I not look like one of those monsters? Is this also part of the spell you mentioned?"

"No Loki, though Jotun you may never think yourself a monster," Thor insisted hoping that Loki would not start to think himself a beast once again. "You were just a newborn when father found you in the temple. Even then father knew you were special, you shifted your form to mimic him so perfectly it was as though he were holding any other Æsir child."

"Why did he just take me then if he knew what I was?" Loki asked not understanding why his fa-, no Odin he corrected himself again had taken him. Surely, he had parents who feared for what had happened to their child … right?

"To his great shame father first thought he could forge a peace with Jotunhiem through you," Thor explained recalling his own anger at Odin when he learned this. The thunderer felt that to place such a heavy burden on such a child was immoral and had loudly made his feelings known when told, thankfully it turns out he hadn't been alone in this. "However, when Mother learned of this she swore to take us both with her and leave Asgard forever if Odin ever tried."

"Why?" Loki questioned softly no understanding his mother's threat to Odin. Despite having doubts about Thor and Odin Frigga was the only mother Loki had ever known and he had never felt any doubts about her feelings towards him.

Thor couldn't help but smile as he thought of their mother. "You know mother, the mortals did not declare her the goddess of motherhood just because of her kindness. It was also because of her ferocity in battle when it came to protecting the son's and daughters of those she had sworn to protect."

"But why, why would she even want me?" Loki insisted not understanding his mother's desire to keep him as her own. Back then he was the son of her enemies, a symbol of those who were killing the people she ruled over and vowed to protect.

"To quote mother you were _'the most beautiful child I had ever seen … next to you of course Thor. Loki was just so full of life that I immediately fell in love with him. I named right there in front of your father and whisked him away to my chambers'_."

Loki gave a small smile at his mother's words before a horrible thought dawned on him. "Is this why fat-Odin likes you more?"

Thor flinched hearing old resentment come out of his brother's mouth again silently sending a silent curse at Odin. "Father has told me that although he didn't love instantly like he did me, he grew to love you as you grew Loki. Father just has trouble talking to you, well I am a warrior born whom you can talk to about how many heads you smashed in battle you Loki are a thinker, a planner your mind always seeks knowledge no matter how big or small it may be."

"I think that it why father has so much trouble communicating with you," Thor confessed honestly putting in his own thoughts of his family's problems conversing with each other. "He fears that you will think him an idiot, even with all Odin's power and knowledge you are smarter then he could ever hope to be Loki."

"But fa – Odin has the experience," Loki insisted noticing how Thor flinched when he used the Allfather's real name. "He has the wisdom that comes with lifetimes putting what he knows into practice. If I take what he teaches us and expand on it how is that wrong?"

"It's not," Thor said understanding where Loki was coming from to a certain extent, but as Thor said he was a warrior, not a thinker. "I think it just scares father how quickly you are able to surpass him."

"Then maybe he should have left me where he found me," the trickster hissed venomously. "Perhaps if I had been left with my Jotun parents, whoever they are, Odin wouldn't have to fear me so."

Giving a small sigh Thor prepared himself for the next part of the story. "King Laufey was one of those parents; we have no clue about the other though."

Loki just sat there in silence for a moment before looking up at Thor with a completely heartbroken expression. "Is this what Odin meant when he said we would both be kings?"

"No," Thor exclaimed looking concerned now. "Loki, as we grew the father realized that neither of us apart would make a good king for the realm. He believed that only by us ruling Asgard together could the nine realms truly find peace."

Leaning over and taking Loki's smaller hands in his own larger ones Thor continued. "But things never go as we wish them and as we grew so to did my arrogance until I became so consumed by my own ego I that I made some very poor decisions."

Loki snorted and crossed his arms over his chest angrily. "What could you have done?"

"I allowed my vanity to lead me in a march against Jotunheim in hopes of war," Thor explained purposely leaving out that it was by Loki's own understanding of his brother's arrogance at having his coronation ruined that led to his trip to the cold realm. "I wanted war for no other reason than to satisfy my own bloodlust. I didn't care how it would come to affect anyone else, I didn't care how that my choice ended up hurting you."

"What did I do?" Loki asked sensing that he had played a bigger role in this then Thor was letting on.

Thor sighed not surprised that Loki had figured out he was holding something back. "You allowed two Jotun to make their way into Asgard so that they could attempt to reclaim the Casket of Ancient Winters. I think you knew that their plan would fail from the start and could prove to the Allfather that I was not ready to take the throne just yet."

"I don't understand." Loki said confused. Why would he purposely wish for a plan to fail? Wasn't the whole point of a plan to try and make it succeed.

"As clever as you are Loki I am equally as stubborn and because my day was ruined I dragged you, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg and Sif off to Jotunhiem." Thor explained wondering how things may have been different if Heimdall had not let the use the Bifrost or if the servant Loki sent to Odin had been quicker.

"What happened when we got there?"

"When we arrived Laufey turned us away, he didn't know how his people came to Asgard or of their plan of that I am sure so he told us to go home. When we started to do so I heard one of them call me 'princess' and broke out into a rage killing nearly all who were present." Thor said sadly remembering all those who had died for a petty insult. Stark had called him princess many times, especially when he compared Thor to a maiden with magical glowing hair and the worst he got was an empty bar and maybe a zap from Mjölnir.

"Father showed not too long after that and took us back home. When we returned he and I got into a fight many harsh words were said. In the end, he banished me here for nearly starting a war saying that until I proved myself worthy I was cast out," Thor spoke before giving a small smile, as horrible as banishment had been at first it led Thor to Jane and for that he was grateful. "That is how I came to meet Jane she was one of the people to find me when I first landed on Midgard."

"What happened to me well you were gone?" Loki asked wondering about what had happened to change his brother so much.

"I only know what I have been told but father says that you both argued about your ancestry in the vault," Thor said recalling the things he had been told by his parents, his friends and numerous palace staff. "Odin fell into sleep soon after and you were made king in my stead. During this time, I tried to get Mjölnir and failed, not long after you came to visit me."

"Why?" Loki asked confused about why he had just left his brother instead of helping him return home. If he was king as Thor said shouldn't he have had the power to end his banishment?

"You did not take the truth of your origins well, I believe you lashed out at me because you were afraid of what I might do should I ever discover the truth." Thor said thinking back to once when Loki was a child after a nightmare Thor had told him how someday he would kill all the Fr- Jotun that had plagued his brother's dreams. How terrified his brother must have been to discover he himself was apart of the very people Thor had been planning on destroying since childhood.

"Did I hurt you?" The little trickster asked looking Thor over for any visible scars.

"At first you merely lied to me to keep me on Midgard well father slept. Mother thinks that is when you entered a state of madness." Thor explained remembering the talk with the queen about what had happened not long after she started excepting visitors again.

"What do you mean?" Loki asked.

"Allowing the Jotun into Asgard was just supposed to prove you were right about me not being ready for the throne, it should have ended there. Instead, it rolled on like a stone down a hill ever out of your grasp," Thor said having come to agree with his mother about Loki's madness. Even at this age, Loki would often lash out when confronted with something beyond his control. "With the revelation of your origins mother believes you felt the need to prove yourself to father, show him that you were as much his son as I was."

Loki already had a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that he had done something, something very bad.

Thor wished he could somehow soften the blow of this next part but knew it was best to get it over with quickly. "You tricked Laufey into attacking father as he slept and killed him hoping to claim self-defence. Then turned your attention to Jotunhiem and tried to destroy it with the Bifrost claiming it to be an act of retaliation against their failed assassination."

"Was … was someone able to stop me?" Loki questioned numbly hoping that he had not destroyed an entire world, even if it did belong to the Frost Giants Loki wasn't sure he could handle knowing that he had annihilated a whole world.

"Yes, I believe deep down so you wanted me to be the one to stop you," Thor nodded. "You sent the Destroyer after me perhaps secretly hoping I could prove myself worthy of Mjolnir again."

Loki now looked fearful as he thought about the large armour.

" **It** killed me when I tried to stop it," Thor said purposely stressing how it had been the armour and not Loki's own hands that had ended his life that day. "Thankfully through my attempts, I was able to prove myself. I returned to Asgard and we battled on the Bifrost, I had to destroy the bridge in order to stop you but we both fell."

Recalling the battle Thor felt a small tear gather in his eye. "Father appeared and saved us from falling into the abyss. You tried to plead with him that you were your actions for doing this for us, for the good of our family. Odin told you no and you did not understand what he meant so you … you …"

"I what?" Loki asked tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"You allowed yourself to fall into the abyss." Thor said remembering the pain he felt as he watched Loki fall like it was yesterday.

Loki just sat there thinking about how he should for all purposes should be dead before he started to cry.

 **Authors Note**

 **I know it might seem cruel to have Thor telling Loki about his origins, the events of the first movie and Loki's death but in the long run, I think being honest with Loki would have been worse. And after rereading this chapter I thought I would give Loki a little bit of the anger that he showed when he found out about his adoption to give a nice balance to his character in the chapter.**

 **What happened in the Avengers takes place in the next chapter as well as surprise guest making their appearance.**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought of the revisions and I will see you all again next week.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bruce had finally woken up from his nap and asked what had happened with Loki. After hearing what they had discovered in the park Bruce asked where Loki was now Tony told the gamma scientist that Thor had taken him to one of the spare rooms so that they could talk privately.

"Is that even a good idea?" Bruce asked hoping that Thor thought about the consequences of his actions beforehand when he was explaining to Loki about his past.

Or maybe it was his future, time travel couldn't be ruled out at the moment since there was no actual proof that this was the same Loki they had fought against. "I mean seeing how Loki reacted to things as an adult do you think telling him about what he's done is smart."

The Avengers along with Fury and Coulson paused to think about what would happen if Loki went on a rampage again after learning the truth. Sure, they could fight against an adult no problem but a kid was like Pandora's box just waiting to be opened. Even if it was Loki they were fighting there was no guarantee that public would see it that way. Not to mention all the problems they already had from federal agencies and parents' groups about their behaviour, they certainly need footage of them beating up a child to add fuel to the fire.

"I think Thor knows this and that's why he's being honest with Loki from the start," Jane spoke making everyone look at her. "If Loki turned back suddenly and remembers how we've lied to him he might attack again. But if he sees that we were honest with him from the beginning maybe he'll as an olive branch and help us in the future when we need him."

"Barton," Fury said looking at the archer. "You were under Loki's control; do you want him to have a second chance?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Clint answered looking at the Director seriously. "As agents, we've seen people like Loki our entire careers and were willing to give them a chance if they want it. Hell, you're always the one telling us to put aside our personal feelings for the good of the mission."

"I agree Director," Natasha said adding her own input glad she took steps and recorded the talk in the park with her communicator just for this reason. "Loki's treatment by Asgard at this time turned him into someone who bottled up most of his feelings. All it took was the spark of finding out about his adoption to light bomb on that repressed anger."

Natasha then turned to Bruce hoping to drive her point home. "Not unlike someone else we know. But, if we can use this to make Loki an ally won't we be stronger in the long run for it."

"Plus, there are his eyes," Tony added drawing attention to himself.

"What do you mean Stark?" Coulson asked remembering cold blue eyes staring down at him as he bled out from the stab wound.

"Coulson, what colour are Loki's eyes right now?" Tony enquired looking at the agent knowing besides himself the man had gotten a much more personal encounter with the god then anyone else.

"Green …." Coulson replied before realizing where Tony was going. It was so obvious what blue eyes meant Coulson cursed himself for not figuring it out sooner. "You don't think."

"That Loki was drinking the same Kool-Aid as Clint and Selvig," Tony said taking another sip of scotch. "Yeah, I do."

"But when I hit Clint he turned back," Natasha said to the billionaire as Clint rubbed his head remembering the huge bump where he had been struck. "Why didn't Loki? He was thrown around by Hulk."

"Thor did say that Loki fell off the Bifrost almost a year before he showed up here." Jane reminded everyone of the missing year between Loki's fall and his appearance on Earth.

"Right, and we know that somewhere in that time he met up the Chitauri. So, if we assume that they had Loki held prisoner for that whole year," Tony stated expanding on his 'brainwashed Loki' theory. "It wouldn't have been a one-hit wonder like Clint's; they had time reinforce the mind control on Loki before sending him off to us like some evil wind-up toy of doom."

"You're not really suggesting that Loki was a victim of mind control himself Stark?" Fury growled looking at the billionaire like he had grown a second head.

Tony nodded laying out his hypothesis like he was unveiling a new invention. "Yeah, think about it Loki finds out he's adopted. Basically, Reindeer Games been lied to his whole life so that already messes with his head making it easy for someone who controls minds for a living to slip in. Now Mr. X gets to use this and probably some over very nasty memories on our wanna-be diva to manipulate him for an entire year and getting him to do who knows what."

"And to make it better we show up with our shining blue beacon getting Mr. X's attention," Tony continued reminding Fury of how it was his poking and prodding of the tesseract that had brought Loki to earth in the first place. "All the final boss needed was a general for his army, one that brilliant and couldn't betray him which he had in his Loki action figure."

"But how were they able to keep up the control of that distance Stark?" Coulson reminded the Iron Man of the great distance that had been between Loki and the Chitauri before the portal had opened. Surely even if the mind control was as powerful as Tony was attempting to make it was the distance between Loki and his captors should have given them some signs at least.

Everyone paused to think about this.

"His staff," Clint said making all eyes to turn to him in surprise. Clint normally didn't talk about his vacation to the dark side, he found it too painful and the mention of the staff was one of his trigger words. "When I was ….. gone I remember that he used it to communicate with someone once."

"And Loki never let it go, until he detained on the Hellicarrier," Bruce continued going along with Clint's train of thought. "That's when it started affecting us when we separated it from him."

"But his eyes were still blue, even after Hulk's tantrum," Fury pointed out once again the one major flaw in the theory.

"Maybe it needed time," Tony shrugged looking at Bruce. "Hulk's beating probably shook most of it off, remember how subdued Loki was afterwards."

"Yeah, it was almost eerily how quiet he became all of a sudden," Steve remembered that after asking for a drink Loki had barely said anything before leaving for Asgard. In fact, aside from some winces of pain here and there Loki had barely moved at all. "We just thought that he couldn't handle losing and was pouting but what if it was something else."

"This is a wonderful theory but your all missing the most important thing," Fury said once again feeling the need to act as the devil's advocate. "Proof."

"That's the problem Fury," Tony said feeling depressed. "Unless we get our Loki back all we have is this theory."

"You should ask Thor what Loki was like when they returned to Asgard then," Pepper proposed patting Tony on the arm. "I mean he was there for two years before disappearing again."

Tony looked like he could have asked her to marry him right there for her brilliant suggestion. Now all he had to do was wait until the brothers were done having their little heart to heart and he could get to work.

Spare Room

Thor had instantly moved to the bed when Loki started to cry letting the younger sob into his armour well he tried to wrap his head around everything.

Once Loki had calmed down enough he looked up at Thor. "Why don't you hate for what I've done?"

"Because I love you Loki. When you fell my heart went with you as I realized that I had lost another brother," Thor said remembering the heartbreak he had felt in that dark year. Food and drink had lost taste, battle had become fleeting distraction and though his friends tried Thor could not be pulled away from Loki's room too long to on adventures with them. "After learning everything from mother and father about what had happened during my banishment I blamed myself for your death."

"But I'm not dead." Loki reminded Thor.

The blonde smiled thinking back to when Odin had told him that Loki was alive and on Midgard, it was as though he to had come back from the dead. "No, thankfully you're not."

"Did you come and get me?" Loki asked.

"Yes, but when I arrived I found that you much changed," Thor spoke recalling their conversation on the cliff and how angry he had been when he learned about Loki had done.

Thor had been so enraged at Loki for dismissing his grief, for not contacting Asgard sooner. Mostly though Thor had been angry that Loki was acting exactly like he had been when they had journeyed to Jotunheim with Sif and the Warriors Three.

"Changed how," Loki asked gesturing to his small body. "Like right now?"

"You were …. darker I suppose," Thor tried to explain. It was difficult to put into words though how Thor had felt after seeing the anger and madness in Loki's eyes. "You wished to conquer and enslave Midgard."

Loki frowned now seeing why Director Fury had been so hostile. If someone who had tried to overthrow Asgard appeared in front of Loki he would be unfriendly also. "Did I hurt many people?"

"Yes, you killed a great number of people and injured many more," Thor answered honestly remembering the number being somewhere in the high hundreds when Loki had finally been stopped.

"I hurt your friends to, didn't I?"

"Yes," Thor replied again truthfully. "You hurt them very much; you brought an army down upon their city and tried to kill them."

"Will you tell me what I did to them?" Loki asked wanting to know exactly how badly he had messed up with people who had been so kind to him despite after all he had done to them.

"I believe that you should ask them yourself, it is only fair that they give you the answers you seek," Thor said wisely.

"Why did I do it though?"

"I have always believed that your actions were not your own," Thor stated getting Loki's attention and causing him to sit up straight.

"What?" The trickster gasped.

"Your eyes, they were blue," Thor said looking down into familiar emerald eyes. "I didn't realize this until we returned to Asgard though."

"How did you figure it out then?" Loki asked.

"When we returned to Asgard you were silent, one thing you are never are Loki is quiet so I was confused by this. Eventually, I got so angry when you would not answer my questions that I grabbed your face to make you look at me," Thor explained remembering how he had removed the muzzle on Loki's face wanting a private conversation with him before seeing Odin. "One of your eyes was green, the other blue. It was so brief I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me because when I looked again both were blue."

Thor frowned wishing he could go back and hit himself with Mjölnir for not pressing Loki harder about what he had seen before handing him over to the palace guard. "I knew then that something had happened to you after you fell off the Bifrost."

Suddenly the small boy lying on his lap seemed to melt away turning into his adult self who looked at Thor with the same dual eyes he had on that day upon their return to Asgard.

"Why?" Loki said his tone sounding so broken. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't know," Thor answered shocked by Loki's sudden appearance.

Grabbing his brother fiercely Thor tried to hold onto Loki afraid to let go lest he teleports somewhere. Thankfully all Thor felt was the body in his arms shrink until he was looking down at a sleeping child.

Smiling sadly Thor skillfully removed Loki's cape without waking him, he laid the sleeping boy down placing his head onto the pillows that had been placed on the bed by whoever had made it up last. Placing Loki's cape over him as a blanket Thor removed his own cape and placed it over his brother to remind Loki that he would return.

"JARVIS," Thor said quietly moving smoothing back some of his brother's dark hair from his face much like their mother had done for them when they were children.

"Yes, Mr. Odinson." The British voice asked equally quiet as if the AI trying to make sure that he didn't wake the sleeping boy either.

"Could you inform me when my brother wakes up please?" Thor asked.

"Yes, sir." The AI's softly replied.

Thor moved away from the bed and to the door. Opening it he took one last look behind him at the sleeping boy before closing it and walking down the hall towards his friends to explain to them what had just happened.

 ***Author's Note***

 **How did everyone like adult Loki making an appearance?**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought of my revisions. See you all again next week.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Coulson was the first to notice the blank look on Thor's when he entered the room "How'd Loki take it Thor?"

"Was he upset?" Fury asked wondering just what had happened between the two gods.

Looking at the Director like he was insane the god replied. "Hearing such truths would upset anyone Fury. I am exhausted from just telling Loki the truth, imagine how he must feel after hearing it."

It wasn't an exaggeration either Thor honestly felt drained of energy after his talk with his younger brother, as though he had battled against a whole army of rock giants single handled …. again.

"But something did happen, didn't it?" Steve asked having a feeling in his gut that Thor wasn't telling them something.

The thunderer looked at the captain in surprise wondering if perhaps he was not concealing his feelings about Loki's brief return as well as he had thought. In truth, Thor wanted to tell the others about his brother's short appearance as an adult. But this would also mean telling them about his belief that Loki may have been controlled during their first encounter and Thor wasn't sure if they would believe him or not.

"Loki …." Thor began trying to choose his words carefully. "Loki briefly became himself again during our talk."

The news left the room so stunned you could have heard a pin drop.

"How?" Bruce asked looking at the doorway where Thor was standing expecting Loki to pop out from behind him and attack. "Is that even possible, I thought he was under a spell."

"I am not sure myself," Thor answered looking out at the people in the room from where he stood firm in the doorway hoping none of them would try to get passed him at the moment before he could explain what had happened. "I do know that I should have told you all this sooner though."

"I believe that Loki was not in control of himself when he last visited Midgard," Thor declared hoping not to ruffle too many feathers as it were with his statement. "I know I should have said something earlier -"

"Yeah, I got that feeling when I saw your brother's big green eyes." Tony interrupted startling Thor a little with the revelation that the inventor already suspected this about Loki.

"There something else though," Thor said his eyes landing on Clint knowing that the archer would understand more than the others. "When we returned to Asgard I briefly saw that Loki had one green eye and one blue before they both quickly became blue again."

Clint felt his jaw tighten in anger. "Thor, is it at all possible that that Chitauri were able to use mind control on him."

"I am not sure," Thor answered letting Jane lead him from the door towards a loveseat to sit before he continued. "Though an Asgardian like me might not be affected by such an attempt Loki is originally from Jotunheim."

"With what you told us happened to Loki in those last few days before his first disappearance could that have given them a way to get into his head?" Fury asked starting to at least consider Stark's mind control theory more than he previously had.

"Yes," Thor responded now coming to realize just how serious the situation was. If Loki had been a prisoner of the Chitauri for a year who knows what horrors they might have done committed on him in their attempts to mould him into a soldier loyal to them. "If Loki's mental shields were so fragile after his fall, which I believe they might have been it would be easy for someone powerful enough to break through them and seize control."

"What was Loki like when you returned home Thor?" Natasha asked bringing up the second part of Tony's theory about Hulk knocking most of the mind control out of the trickster.

"At first, he was almost like a statue, so still and quiet very unlike Loki. Some thought this was it was a new way of showing disrespect to the Allfather," Thor said remembering the blank face upon his brother as Odin yelled at the trickster from his throne well Frigga sat silently crying next to him. "When Loki was sentenced to an eternity in a prison cell he did not so much as flinch."

Despite everything Loki had been a model prisoner, he never spoke or caused any problems for the other prisoners. Suddenly Thor remembered something though, something the guards who watched Loki's cell had started complaining about.

"Those last six months or before his escape though Loki did start mumbling and pacing around his cell, no one was able to make out what he was saying though."

Tony finished off his drink in one gulp before pouring himself another. "Thor, I think that may have been the Chitauri trying to contact him."

"How's that possible?" Coulson asked looking at Clint with concern. "SHIELD had that staff destroyed the moment Loki left the planet."

"What is this about my brothers' staff?" Thor asked looking at the agent then at Tony in confusion.

"Thor, Tony thinks that Loki's staff was how the Chitauri were able to control him before the portal was opened." Jane explained to her boyfriend.

"Exactly, here's what I think happened," Tony said adding the information Thor had just told them into the theory. "Loki falls from your rainbow bridge into the hands of the Chitauri who turn him into their perfect soldier before sending him here to open a portal. But since Loki got tossed around by Hulk, lost the staff and had portal was shut in a big explosive way, thanks to yours truly he was able to shake off most of the mind control."

"But by the sounds of it they were able to re-establish the link after he was in Asgard," Bruce continued following Tony's reasoning and adding his own input. "Whoever did that must have been very powerful."

"If they're so strong why would they have wanted earth in the first place?" Darcy questioned wondering about the alien's motives.

"Your realm is in the center of Yggdrasil, had they conquered Midgard then all the other realms would be that much closer," Thor explained shuddering at the thought of the Chitauri swarming over the nine realms like a plague. "If they had been able to get the Tesseract to help assist them with their conquest nothing would have been able to stop them."

"SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Deep Space

' _Where has that retch gone?'_ The Other thought as he continued to scour space looking for his Master's lost toy.

Not many knew but the Other had a power similar to that of Heimdall, Gatekeeper of Asgard. He also had the ability to see far and wide across the universe and find anyone he was looking for given enough time. Unlike Heimdall, though the Other was able to do more with his power than just simply watch.

Right now, though all his focus was on looking for his Master's lost plaything. When that wretch Loki had escaped them a week ago his Master had immediately informed his servants that if his favourite toy was not found that one of them would take the prince's place.

' _That fool failed us and nearly caused complete ruin to my Master's army, I will not allow him to escape punishment so easily.'_ He thought remembering how when he had first come across the floating trickster in space he had thought that the fallen god would help him bring fortune to his Master, how wrong he had been. A year of preparation, training and manipulation all wasted when that fool had lost to a bunch of weakling ants and his oafish brother.

' _Brother.'_ He thought quickly adjusting his gaze, not for the trickster but instead for his lout he called brother. It only took a few minutes to locate him on that backwater planet Earth. A cruel smile spread over the Others face when he saw the man, no the child asleep in his arms.

' _Found you.'_

Loki's Dream

 _Loki was sitting in a field under a large tree with his mother, his head against her shoulder as she read to him from one of her spell books. Loki looked over to where his two brothers and Odin sparred, their father laughing each time one of his sons tried and failed to knock him over. Normally Loki would have joined them in the rare treat of having their father train with his sons but he did not want his mother to feel left out so he let Thor and Baldur have this time with father._

'Maybe father will train me alone next time like he is doing right now with Thor.' _Loki thought imagining having his father's attention all to himself for once._

 _Suddenly dark clouds appeared in the blue sky over the field causing the family to look up at its sudden appearance with confusion. A quick bolt of dark lightning rained down from one of the clouds separating them as something stood up from the spot where it landed._

 _It creature was wearing some type of armoured cloak with its upper face covered, it looked at the people in the field when its covered eyes came to land on Loki it gave a wide smile revealing reddish stained teeth_

" _I have been looking for you Loki," A raspy voice came as the thing started to walk towards the boy and his mother. "It's time to come back, the Master is waiting for you"_

 _Loki felt his heart freeze in his chest for a moment when the creature spoke, for some reason he was very afraid of this 'master'. Odin, Baldur and Thor quickly moved around the creature to stand in front of it ready to defend. Frigga though picked Loki up and looked ready to run at a moment notice with her son should the creature get through them._

" _Meddlesome ants." The creature hissed as Odin grabbed one of its arms well Thor and Baldur used their combined weight to restrain the other._

 _The creature growled twisted its body kicking Baldur, who was the closet away. With the youngest Odinson gone it was able to throw Thor off easily and bury its now free limb straight into Odin's belly._

 _Frigga and Loki both cried out together as Odin fell to the ground._

 _Seeing that their father was not moving Thor tried to tackle the creature but the being grabbed his head and quickly made work of the boy by snapping his neck and letting his body fall beside the bleeding Allfather._

" _THOR!" The pair yelled at the loss of another family member._

 _Putting Loki on the ground Frigga pushed the boy behind her as she attempted to protect him. Loki looked over to where Baldur had fallen hoping the youngest would be able to help them, but he was gone. Looking back at his mother Loki pulled at her arm silently pleading with her to escape with him instead of trying to protect him like Thor and Odin had done._

 _Moving as quickly as a shadow Loki only saw a quick flash of red as the creature's bloody hand whipped out and used its sharp claw-like nails to slash Frigga's throat. The queen gave a wet sounding cough before she to fell like her husband and son on the ground leaving no one standing between Loki and the monster._

 _The creature gave a small cruel laugh as it turned towards its prey and stepped over the body reaching for Loki with bloodstained hands._

" _Now little prince its time you came back with me."_

 _As terrified as Loki was he still tried to move away, even when he fell over an exposed the roots of the tree he never took his eyes of the murderous beast. The Other chuckled as he watched his prey's futile attempts to get away with unseen eyes when the scenery melted away into a dark endless void catching him by surprise._

 _Not wanting to take any chances the Other tried to grab the boy when a flash of green and gold tackled it away from the child. Looking over to where the pair had fallen Loki saw his own face staring back at him as the man screamed at the boy to wake up as he tried to keep the struggling creature pinned._

" _YOU'LL NEVER ESCAPE ME LOKI LAUFEYSON!"_ _The creature yelled towards the younger boy one clawed hand reaching out towards him as he struggled against the older Loki. "I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!"_

 _Loki looked around the void hoping to find someone, anyone who could help him but no one was there. There was only darkness._

" _SOMEONE HELP ME!" Loki screamed as he woke up from this nightmare._

 **Author's Note**

 **Yes, I am majorly cruel to Loki with the dream and him seeing his whole family die but I promise it will get better in the next chapter. What did everyone think about the Other making an appearance though? I'll be honest I don't remember much about him from the movie so I'm working off pictures and clips here.**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought of my revisions and I'll see you all again next week.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Everyone almost seemed to move as one when they heard the cry for help with Thor in the lead as they raced towards the spare bedroom.

"JARVIS, what's going on?" Tony asked not wanting to go into the whatever was happening blind.

"Sir, it would appear that young Mr. Laufeyson has had a nightmare," the AI responded bringing up a small video which showed Loki in real time breathing heavily as he sat on the bed. Next to the video though was another screen showing some sort of reading. "I have also detected a very faint energy signature of unknown origin within the room as well."

"Shit." Tony swore as he looked at the screen already seeing that this energy had a very similar reading to the ones they had gotten during the invasion. If the screen was right then that meant someone who worked for, or with the Chitauri had just bypassed all his security systems and tried to snatch Loki from under their noses.

Making his way towards the spare room where everyone else was Tony arrived in time for Fury to ask what had happened.

"JARVIS." Tony said bringing up the energy reading and passing it to Bruce.

The gamma scientist put his glasses on an immediately recognized the readings that Tony slide towards him. "These are nearly identical to energy readings we picked up during the invasion and also from the Chitauri's bodies afterwards."

Thor looked cautiously at Loki who had not seemed to notice the audience that had gathered as he held onto Thor's cape in a death grip. Placing one of his own larger hands over his brothers Thor knelt next to Loki and started to hum. It was an old song that their mother would sing to them many times whenever one of her sons had a nightmare. Even now when Thor would sometimes wake up in a sweat from memories he would seek Frigga out during her weaving and would fall asleep listening to her hum as she worked.

Somewhere in Loki's panicked mind he recognized the song and knew that he was safe. Trying to slow his breathing down so that it followed the melodies rhythm like his mother had taught him it still took a few minutes for the boy to calm down enough to release his stranglehold on the material. Once he felt calm enough though Loki turned his head and found that Thor was the one humming and launched himself into the older god's chest just to prove to himself that he was truly alive.

"Anybody feel like explaining to me why Loki just screamed bloody murder?" Fury repeated watching Thor comfort Loki on the bed.

Thor frowned at looked down at the shivering boy maneuvering himself so that he was on the bed. "What did you dream about?"

Loki sat there and tried to bury his head further into Thor's chest again as he tried to escape the memory of watching his family die in front of him. Natasha sensed that Thor wouldn't have much luck in getting Loki to talk walked over to the pair and knelt down in front of Loki pulling out her signature guns and laying them on the bed.

"You don't have to be afraid Loki." She said softly taping one of the firearms in front of the pair. "Anybody that comes for you will have to go through us, and I don't know if Thor told you yet but we're pretty tough."

Loki looked at the guns for a second before glancing towards the doorway just in time for Clint to give the boy a serious nod and show him one of the custom arrowheads he kept on his person at all times.

Loki took a deep breath and looked back at the former Russian spy shaking his head. "T-Thor said you beat me but it k-killed everyone, you can't stop it."

"Maybe your right," Natasha agreed earning a look of shock from Thor. "Maybe we can't stop whatever attacked you, but we don't know unless you tell us what it is."

"A monster," Loki shivered as he remembered the blind creature. "It killed everyone, who got between us."

The trickster now turned his head so he was looking up at Thor. "You, father and mother, even Baldur disappeared when he tried to help me."

"What did it want?" Coulson asked as he came to stand behind Natasha watching Loki as he used his own training in behaviour analysis to get a handle on the boy's mental state right now.

"It said it time for me to come back, something about its M-master waiting for me," Loki said as everyone in the room tensed at the word master. "Before it was could grab me though something tackled it away."

"What?" Fury asked looking over at Stark and Banner who only shook their heads and gave the number sign for one.

Loki frowned deeply. "It was me, or at least I think it was me."

"You saw another you?" Natasha asked seriously trying not to let the shudder of hearing that the Loki she had faced off against might be lurking somewhere inside the boy's head watching and waiting.

"Thor said I was under a spell," Loki turning his head towards his brother who nodded in agreement. "Maybe the adult me is still in here and was trying to protect me from that creature."

"Why would he do that?" Clint asked not understanding why an adult Loki, one who might still very well be under the effects of the mind control would protect his younger self.

"Maybe Loki cast the spell on himself." Darcy chimed in grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

Coulson looked towards the brunette like she was insane. "Miss Lewis I'm afraid you're going to have to explain that one."

"These things totally messed Loki upright," Darcy answered trying to ignore the twinge of guilt when she watched the child flinch. "Whatever they wanted him to do didn't happen and I would bet my shiny new iPod that they weren't too happy when he failed."

Jane following along with what Darcy was saying nodded. "If that's true then maybe when Loki got a chance to escape he took it, Loki even knew someone would come after him so maybe he turned himself into a child to buy time."

Darcy nodded and looked at Thor who was still holding Loki in a protective embrace "Loki probably came to Earth looking for you Thor because he knows that you'll protect him, that's what big brothers do right?"

"Why not go to Asgard though?" Steve asked wondering why Loki hadn't just gone home if he was being chased. "Why go through all this trouble?"

"Simple, no one in Asgard would believe my brother," Thor said frowning at the thought of what would have happened if Loki had appeared on the Bifrost as he was now instead of Central Park. "Even in this appearance the Allfather would have had no choice but to throw Loki in the dungeons in order to avoid unrest amongst our people."

Fury just glared at the confused boy not liking the idea of being used by the trickster. "So basically, what you saying is that Loki here manipulating us into helping him?"

Loki felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the one-eyed man.

Natasha shook her head knowing without question that this Loki was in no way trying to manipulate them. "Director, Loki's smart he chose his age for a reason."

"She's right Fury," Clint added remembering the fresh pain in those green eyes as Loki talked about his younger brother's death. "I think Loki chose this point in his life because it's when everything started to go downhill for him."

"It also probably wasn't a coincidence that he landed in Central Park," Bruce said next reminding everyone of where they had found Loki. "He wanted to get noticed as quickly as possible; more specifically Loki might have wanted us to be the ones to notice him and since that was the last place we were all together -"

"But why?" Fury interrupted clenching his teeth. "Loki knows were not his biggest fans."

"Clint remember Loki reacted when you caught him if anyone was going to ask questions about how different he was compared to before it was going to either be us or Tony." Natasha said as Tony grinned sheepishly knowing that his curiosity over the trickster would indeed have led him to ask a lot of questions.

"So, Loki wants us to pity him?" Coulson asked.

"NO!" Loki yelled getting the attention from everyone in the room as his face flushed a deeper shade of red in anger because everyone was talking about him like he wasn't here. "I do not want pity, I didn't tell Hawkeye and Lady Natasha about Baldur because I wanted anything. I just … I just want to go home."

"I just want to go to **my** home, where **my** family waits and I don't have to be plagued by monsters and thoughts of my becoming one of them myself." Loki said starting to become hysterical.

Luckily for him, this was something Natasha had experience with.

"Loki!" the assassin yelled having dealt with this type of hysteria numerous times with Clint in the past. Thankfully for her though Loki wasn't too far into his panic that all she needed to do was raise her voice to get him to focus on her. "Let's take a walk."

"But -"

"Now." Natasha ordered firmly putting her guns back in their holsters and extending her hand to the boy.

Loki took it with downcast eyes as the pair made their way towards the door but before they left though Loki gave Fury a remorseful look.

"I'm sorry that my actions hurt you and this planet, Thor has told me some of what transpired between us and even though you might not believe me I swear to you I do not seek to harm your realm."

With that, the pair walked down the hall to parts unknown well Tony frowned at the Director. "Fury let's be honest, we're all screw ups here but we got our second chances. Loki probably wants his as well when he decided to show up, or at the very least doesn't want to be on our 'shoot first, ask questions later' list when whatever's coming goes down."

"We don't know what Loki wants or when this big bad may come for him Stark," Fury growled hating that Loki was once again holding all the cards, even if the boy didn't know he was. "It could happen tomorrow or fifty years from now. So, unless **you** can figure out a way to turn him back to his original pain in the ass self we're flying blind here against who knows how many enemies with powers and tech even god himself hasn't heard of."

The tension became so thick in the room that you would need a chainsaw rather than a knife to cut it. And well it wasn't unusual for Fury and Tony to have one of their staredowns, in fact, it happened once every few weeks with varying degrees fallout, this one was different.

No one had seen them go at each other like this since the incident a year back when the Avengers had all been out of the city just as everyone in the city was almost turned into humanoid lizards. Luckily for them, a young hero named Spider-Man had stopped the attack but Fury hadn't been satisfied with some 'anonymous punk' as he put it swooping in and saving the day and had come to Tony to find this web-slinging champion of New York.

That's when the fighting had broken out, Tony had found Spider-Man but was unwilling to divulge the name. This had led to a shouting match between the pair in which Tony stated he would not help Fury track down and arrest someone who had saved people, especially if the Director was planning on using the arrest as leverage to get the man to work for SHIELD like he had done with other individuals in the past.

Fury had tried to push the issue only to have Tony threaten to leak the list of mutants working for SHIELD under duress to every media outlet he could find. Knowing just how much of a hot button issue mutant was right now the Director backed off, still this didn't stop Tony from making a call to certain professor upstate just to spite Fury.

Even now Tony wouldn't say give up the name, even when Pepper asked all she got was a strained smile and a 'maybe later Pep' from the man.

"Thor," Jane said looking at her boyfriend seriously. "I think you need to go back to Asgard."

 **Author's Notes**

 **So, what does everyone think about Loki's slight meltdown? I don't have much experience in the matter so I'm just going with some information I found on the internet and from movies. Not surprisingly most of the treatment for this in movies is slapping them and since I didn't want Natasha to hit a child raising her voice was my best option.**

 **And please be honest, what did everyone think of me dropping Spider-Man and the X-Men into this chapter. I want to bring in some other characters from the Marvel-verse during this re-write but I have to be careful about who or when.**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review telling me what you thought and I'll see you all again next week.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"J-jane," Thor stammered shocked by his lover's words. "What are you saying? I cannot leave my brother, especially not when there is some monster searching for him."

"I'm not saying don't come back," Jane exclaimed suddenly realizing how callous her words must have sounded to everyone. "Thor, your parents need to know you found Loki."

Thor thought about it and wasn't sure whether he should go and inform his parents of Loki's return personally or call Heimdall and have the Bifrost Guardian relay the message. In either scenario one of or both of them would surely make their way to Midgard and who knows how they would react to Loki knowing the truth about his origins or how Loki would react to seeing Odin.

"She's right Thor," Coulson said putting his hand on the thunder gods shoulder. "And meanwhile we can watch Loki, I mean he's practically Clint and Natasha's shadow already."

"And if they're too busy I can always watch the little cutie." Darcy said wondering how many of her favourite food trucks she could score free meals from with Loki before anyone figured it out what they were doing.

Jane frowned reading Darcy's mind, or rather that hungry glint in her eye. "We both will."

"Personally, I'd love to kick both your asses back to Asgard so that I don't have to worry about your parents tearing apart the city looking for their two lost kids," Fury added in not wanting his first meeting with the rulers of Asgard to be in the middle of a war zone. "But since we might need Loki in the future so SHIELD can provide protection … for now."

Tony gasped dramatically and placed a hand over his arc reactor. "Why Fury don't look now but it almost seems like your worried about Loki."

Fury rolled his eye well everyone chuckled as the mood lightened between the pair, even Thor smiled knowing that Loki would be well protected during his absence.

"I suppose I could pick up some clothes for my brother well I am in Asgard." Thor said wondering just how many of Loki's old outfits from this age Frigga had saved in her, not so secret treasure trove of their childhood mementos.

"Yes. Defiantly. Absolutely," Tony agreed. "Otherwise I'll have to part with my credit cards and who knows if we'll even be able to find Loki underneath all the clothes Natasha would buy him."

"How can you be so sure its Natasha that would take Loki shopping?" Pepper asked raising one perfectly manicured eyebrow.

Tony tipped an imagining hat. "Elementary my dear Pepper. Natasha would take Loki to the shops, you would bring the shops to Loki."

"Maybe we should have Pepper look into earth clothes also just so we don't have to worry about Loki getting bored well shopping." Coulson suggested knowing that it might not be a bad idea to have something for Loki to wear that would help him blend in if they had to hide him quickly somewhere else.

Thor coughed nervously as he thought about what Loki was like when bored. "Yes, some books and maybe a few games will defiantly be my next stop after clothing."

"Your kidding, right?" Tony said looking at Thor and remembering what he said in the park. "It's not just tantrums, we have to worry about boredom to?"

"Loki's childhood tantrums were nothing compared to his exploits when boredom hit," Thor said remembering how the elves of Alfheim were even today still finding enchanted gingerbread creatures around their realm. "Mayhaps Darcy would show Loki some of her favourite cartoons."

Darcy lit up as she thought of her top ten favourite cartoons letting out a tune from her current favourite. " _But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day_."

Steve frowned thinking that everyone was missing the most important part of this plan. "And how do you think Loki's going to handle Thor leaving? In case you've all forgotten something just tried to grab him."

"But now we know somethings coming," Bruce said as he and Betty looked up from the energy readings they had been studying. "If we can build a scrambler then it shouldn't happen again … hopefully. The only problem is that the towers systems might get screwy as a result."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Wait, the tower? I thought we were all staying at the mansion?"

Natasha and Loki

"Do you not like hot chocolate?" Natasha asked watching her young charge as he swirled the drink around.

The spy had brought Loki to the living quarters just below the penthouse and made him her special after mission drink before they stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. Honestly, she had hoped the Loki would tell her more about the creature from his dream with it just being the two of them but trickster was lost in his thoughts.

"What?" Loki said heading snapping up as he looked at the woman and blushed. "No, no it's fine … delicious actually I've never had a drink quite like it before."

"The secret ingredient is a dash of mint," Natasha said taking a sip of her own drink and tasting the added flavour hidden underneath all the chocolate. "You know Darcy saw this video that says by 2050 chocolate will no longer exist."

Loki looked confused. "Is chocolate that important?"

"I'll get Steve to make you one of his double chocolate cakes, then you tell me if chocolates important." Natasha offered knowing that if Loki was asking then her boyfriend would defiantly break down and make the delectable treat.

"What's this about chocolate?" Darcy's voice came from the balcony door before she noticed what they were drinking. "No fair having some Black Widows famous post-mission pick me up without me."

Natasha smirked having already anticipated this. "There's another mug for you on the counter."

"If Steve didn't already have dibs I would marry you, Natasha." Darcy smiled brightly.

"Now Darcy, what would Clint say if he heard you handing out proposal's like that?" Natasha teased enjoying how Darcy's face turned an impressive shade of red that almost matched the spy's hair.

It was clear to see, at least for Natasha, that her partner had a small crush on the taser-wielding brunette and that the same was true for Darcy. The only thing the spy couldn't figure out was whether or not these two were unaware of their own feelings or were too afraid to act on them. For Clint that might be true given how his relationship with Agent Morse ended but Darcy had that 'live life with no regrets' vibe that made Natasha wonder if there was some ghost of exes past that was haunting her also.

In the end, it didn't matter, if the two weren't going to admit their feeling by the time the situation with Loki was over with she would lock them in a room together until one of them cracked and confessed.

"Y-yeah well," Darcy stammered feeling her cheeks grow hotter with every second. "Loki your brother needs to talk to you."

Loki frowned and looked down at his mug taking a giant sip of the sweet liquid much like how he had seen warriors do with their own drinks before heading into battle. Walking into the room the trickster saw that Fury and Coulson were no longer with everyone before he could ask where they had gone Thor cleared his throat.

"Loki," the thunderer began looking nervous. "It has come to my attention that mother and father must be informed of your return, this is why I am returning to Asgard."

Thor's use of the word 'I' instead of 'we' was the first thing that caught Loki's attention. "I take it I will be staying here on Midgard then."

"Yes," Thor nodded. "My friends here have already offered their protection and when they are unable to be with you the all-seeing JARVIS will just me a word away."

"What is a JARVIS?" Loki asked.

"That would be me Mr. Laufeyson."

Loki jumped an looked around for the source of the voice when he saw none Loki heard Tony laugh and turned towards him.

"Sorry kid," the inventor chuckled. "JARVIS is a computer program, he's basically a mind without a body."

Loki looked intrigued now. "Is he intelligent?"

"According to Mr. Stark, I am just a really very intelligent system that is smarter then most humans." JARVIS responded sounding proud.

"Then …" Loki said looking nervous. "Then would you please not call me that."

"I'm sorry Mr. Laufeyson, call you what?"

"That, Laufeyson," Loki answered looking at Thor. "I'm not a Laufey's son."

"Perhaps young Mr. Odinson then?" The AI inquired.

Loki shook his head feeling bad when he saw Thor grimace. "I wish to be called Friggason."

"Understood Mr. Friggason."

Loki felt relief at the name but Thor couldn't help but ask. "You wish to take mothers name, I don't understand."

Loki clenched his fists nervously, a habit he had been trying hard to break before all this happened. "I do not know where Odin and I stand at the moment Thor, but mother … mother will always be my mother."

Thor nodded understanding his brothers' feelings, of the three siblings Loki had always been the most attached to the queen. It was no surprise since Loki had learned magic, politics, fighting and anything he could from either watching Frigga or under her tutelage.

"Is there anything I can bring you back?" Thor asked.

A blush suddenly rose to Loki's cheeks. "Sir Sly … if I still have him that is."

"Sir Sly?" Clint asked enjoying the bashful look on Loki's face.

"He's a small fox toy mother gifted me when I was small." Loki said going a little redder, it might sound childish but whenever he had the small toy he remembered his mother and felt safe.

"A fox huh?" Natasha said seeing the similarities between the creature and the trickster, Loki just blushed deeper at the words.

"Maybe now would be the best time to move this party to the mansion," Tony suggested looking at his patented STARK watch. "Let's divide up and meet there in say an hour?"

"Why an hour Tony?" Steve asked wondering why the delay. Normally it only took thirty minutes to get the house, and that was in heavy New York traffic during a blizzard traffic.

"So that we can get a certain hungry god here something to eat," Tony said as if on cue Loki's stomach let out a loud growl causing the small trickster to go red again and Tony to laugh. "I'll introduce you to Burger King."

"Tony fast food is not healthy." Pepper scolded the billionaire.

"I was unaware Midgard still had kings," Loki said wondering if perhaps Odin knew the man Tony was talking about. "What kingdom does he rule over?"

"My taste buds mostly," Tony said ignoring Pepper's scolding before looking at the three people who had been picked up by his limo earlier in the day. "Thor, are you, Jane and Darcy gonna join us in the limo?"

Pepper had picked the trio up from the airport earlier that day for the party, it had been Thor's first time flying in a commercial jet and judging by Darcy's constant Instagram pictures probably his last. Steve had driven his motorcycle well Bruce and Betty followed behind him in a car. Clint and Natasha, however, had come by quinjet having just finished a debriefing about a past mission the day before.

"Thanks for the offer Tony but I was hoping to check out the quinjet, it looks like such a cool ride." Darcy said giving the assassin's a pair of large puppy eyes hoping they would let her fly in their plane.

Natasha knew better than to argue with the look, it was the same one that would lead to begging and bribery attempts. "One ride and you stay buckled in your seat."

"Yes," Darcy exclaimed jumping for joy and giving Natasha a huge hug. "Thank you, Tasha. I so love you right now."

"Where's my hug?" Clint asked giving a fake pout.

Darcy gave the archer a wink. "Take me out to dinner and we'll see Robin Hood."

Loki looked up at the Natasha with confusion. "What are Clint and Lady Darcy doing?"

"Ask Thor." The spy answered not wanting to be the one to give 'the talk' to Loki.

Avengers Mansion

After much debate between the Pepper had finally relented to taking Loki through Burger King, under the condition that Tony didn't eat only burgers and Thor didn't order enough to feed a hungry football team. Loki was confused when the strange food was given to him but seeing his older brother eat some without any problem he also began to eat the food, though less enthusiastically then Thor and Tony.

Pulling into Avengers Mansion Loki looked out the window marvelling at the house from his position between Jane and Pepper asking if this was where he would be staying well Thor was away.

"You bet," Tony said giving the boy a grin pleased that the trickster liked the mansion so much. "Only Steve and Bruce live here full time. Everyone else will be staying over to help keep you safe well Thor's away."

"I can take care of myself," Loki insisted sitting up straighter in his seat. "I am a warrior of Asgard."

"Brother, we know you can take care of yourself." Thor said trying to assure his brother that they did not think him weak.

"Believe me Loki I know for a fact just how strong you are." Tony said to Loki remembering his own post-invasion nightmares of the man. "We just want to make sure that no creepy creature comes for you again."

Jane noticed the small shudder that Loki gave and pulled him into a hug. "Everyone needs help sometimes."

"Ok." Loki said simply leaning into the hug thinking of how similar Jane was to his own mother.

They all go out of the limo and made their way inside where everyone had been waiting for them. When Darcy saw Jane, she ran over to her boss and began talking about how awesome the plane ride was well giving Loki another suffocating hug.

"Ok, so what's the plan?" Tony asked leaving Loki with the four women well the Avengers snuck off to one side to talk about what to do next.

"Clint and I will be staying here for the time being." Natasha confirmed as Clint nodded next to her. Fury had sent the message over during the flight that the pair would be the agents assigned to Loki for now. The Director also let them know that a handful of other agents would be taking up key spots around the mansion to do around the clock surveillance

"We should have someone different watch Loki every day." Steve suggested.

"Teams of two would be best." Bruce nodded agreeing with the idea.

"Well Steve and Tasha already make a team," Tony said looking at the couple. "Bruce and I can be another and Clint you can be the alternate until Goldilocks here gets back."

"Why do I have to be the alternative?" Clint protested not liking the idea, he had kinda been hoping to muscle in on Darcy's cartoon-a-thon with Loki just to get to know the brunette better.

"Since Loki likes you and Tasha best it makes sense that one of you be with him at all times." Tony explained.

"Then why am I not the alternate Tony?" Natasha asked.

"Cause you and Steve might want practice for whenever you two have super ninja babies of your own." Tony smirked grinning causing Steve to go red and Natasha to give him a blank, but annoyed look.

"I should return to Asgard now then," Thor said miserably. "Best not delay to the news any longer."

"Don't you want to stay a little longer bond some more with Loki?" Bruce asked.

"No, our mother and the Allfather must be informed," Thor said looking at Loki, who was showing off his magic to amuse the women. "Though you might want to prepare yourselves, our mother might come with me. She has been inconsolable since Loki's disappearance."

"Cool," Tony hummed wondering what it would be like to be an alien queen. Considering she raised Thor and Loki Tony would put money on her similar to Pepper. Tough as nails beneath a beautiful face and brilliant mind. "We'll make sure to keep an eye out for mother goddess."

Walking back towards the women Thor gave Jane a small kiss on her forehead before kneeling down and informing Loki that he was leaving.

"I will return with items from your room and Sir Sly as soon as possible." Thor said trying to wipe the sad look off his brother's face.

"Promise not to forget him."

"I swear that I shall bring you your fox Loki." Thor promised.

"Ok," Loki said sadly. "Can I stay with you until you call Heimdall?"

"I would like that very much." Thor said taking a hold of his brother's hand well Jane took Loki's other hand giving him another beautiful smile, which he returned. Walking into the garden Thor let go of his brother's hand bending down to give him another hug.

"I will return soon Loki don't worry." Thor said to his brother ruffling his hair slightly.

"I'm not worried about you not coming back, I worry that you'll try to bring my chambers with you," Loki replied unhappily still holding onto Jane's hand. "Give mother and Odin my love."

"I will, you have fun with everyone try not to cause too much mischief." Thor said knowing his brother might be a little overwhelming for his friends.

"No promises." Loki grinned causing Jane to laugh a little beside him.

Getting up and giving Jane a long kiss Thor walked away a few feet calling for Heimdall to bring him back. Looking at his love and brother one last time Thor gave them a large smile before disappearing in a flash of light.

Asgard

Thor stood in Heimdall's observatory greeting the guardian as soon as the light faded. "Hello, Heimdall how are you today?"

"As well as any other day," Heimdall answered back to Thor. "Why have you returned to Asgard so early my prince?"

"There have been some discoveries well I was on Asgard, Loki has reappeared." Thor said getting straight to the point watching in interest as a flicker of shock pass over Heimdall's face before it was gone again.

"Then why have you not brought him with you, my prince?" Heimdall asked not seeing the missing prince.

"Loki has been changed into a child; he remembers nothing since Baldur's death." Thor answered as another look passed over Heimdall's face, this one of sadness.

"The youngest prince's death was a tragedy." Heimdall replied remembering the mourning all of Asgard had gone through when the youngest prince had passed. Though unlike many others Heimdall never blamed Loki, he knew the death of Baldur had hit the dark-haired prince the hardest of all.

"Loki told me that he asked you to send him to Midgard not long after that," Thor said wanting to know what had happened originally when his brother had left their realms. "That is where his memories stop."

"Yes, Loki came to me after hearing what many of the citizens were saying," Heimdall answered remembering the crying prince coming to him wanting to leave the realm for a while after overhearing one guard had called him a murderer. "I allowed him passage to any safe realm of his choosing so long as he did not shield himself from my eyes."

"Do you know what happened when he was there?" Thor asked curiously.

"Loki came across some and showed them his magic," Heimdall started as Thor remembered that this was also how they had found Loki. "Their parents saw this though and cast stones at him."

Thor felt rage rise within him. "Did no one try to stop this?"

"A traveller grabbed the prince and ran away with him," Heimdall said remembering the brave mortal woman who had grabbed the young prince not caring about her own safety. "Once they were alone she told Loki that if he wished to survive he would have to hide who he was behind a mask."

"So, she is to blame for Loki's change." Thor said looking furious at how this woman's careless words had affected his brother throughout much of his life.

"My prince, you must understand that she must have believed Loki a Midgardian like herself," Heimdall said to Thor trying to explain that the mortal's actions hadn't been to be anything but helpful advice. Perhaps to Thor, her words seemed cruel but the Gatekeeper had seen much of it throughout the centuries of watching, especially for those with powers. "Her words were advice would she hoped would help him survive."

Thor thought about this for a moment, in many of the nine realms magic was a gift but there were still those who thought it something vile and unnatural. "What happened to her?"

Heimdall shook his head recalling the woman's fate. "When they parted company, she was found by the mob killed."

"Did Loki know?" Thor asked wondering if his brother knew of his saviours' fate.

"The prince asked about her when he returned," Heimdall said as another flash of emotion crossed his face Thor thought it looked something like regret. "Upon hearing of her death, I believe the prince took her advice to heart."

"Thank you Heimdall for telling me this," Thor said sincerely. "May I ask a favour from you?"

"Of course, my prince." Heimdall said standing slightly straighter.

"Could you keep an eye on Loki," Thor said to the Bifrost guardian seriously. "Something attempted to take him before I returned."

"Of course, my prince," Heimdall nodded gripping his sword a little tighter. "If I am unable to see Loki then I will watch your friends, I assume they are with him."

"Yes, they watch my brother well I inform our parents." Thor nodded looking at the golden palace in the distance.

"If you don't mind me asking my prince, what does Loki believe happened to him?" Heimdall inquired wondering how the young prince reacted to his brother being much older then he remembered.

"I have told him the truth." Thor replied honestly.

"How did he take it?"

"He wishes to be called Loki Friggason." Thor said giving a small smile and walking out of the observatory. Heimdall also gave a small smile at the news turning his gaze towards the Avenger's Mansion on Midgard.

Throne Room

Frigga rose from her chair as soon as her son entered the room. "Thor your back early, has something happened?"

The future king kissed his mother's cheek looking at her and Odin. "I have wonderful news of, I have located Loki."

"He's alive." Frigga whispered shocked at the news as hope bubbled in her chest.

"Yes, but he has been turned into a child," Thor explained to his parents. "He remembers nothing after Baldur's death."

"He's alive," Frigga whispered again letting tears fall from her eyes. "My sweet boy is alive."

Odin frowned as he looked at his eldest. "Why has Loki not returned with you then Thor?"

"My friends and I believe that something continues pursues Loki." Thor explained looking into Odin's eye.

"The would he not be safer here on Asgard?" Odin asked.

Thor shook his head and took a deep breath. "Father, I have told Loki about Laufey and his adoption I did not think –"

"How could you do that?!" Odin bellowed interrupting Thor.

"Father, with all due respect what would you have done had I brought him?" Thor asked his father seriously.

"We would have protected him, Thor." Frigga answered looking up at her eldest son not understanding why Loki was not safer in Asgard, with her.

"Perhaps, but what would the people of our realm done?" Thor inquired looking at his mother then back at Odin. "There cruelty after Baldurs death was worse then I think any of us knew."

Odin said nothing knowing that his eldest was correct, even as a small child with no memory of what had happened the people of Asgard would have rebelled demanding Loki's blood as payment for all that he had done.

Still, knowing this truth and accepting it were two different matters.

"Thor, when you told him," Odin said worried about what Loki would do if they saw each other now. "Does he hate us?"

"No," Thor responded. "Although he does not yet know how he feels about you Loki assures me that Laufey is not his father."

"And what of me," Frigga asked scared to know the truth. "Am I not his mother still?"

Thor just brought his mother into a reassuring hug. "Loki wishes to be called Friggason for now, he claims that well his feelings for father are unclear you are his mother no matter what."

Frigga just started to cry again, though not tears of sadness but of joy. Her greatest fear was always being rejected by her son for not telling him the truth of his origins but now she knew that Loki still loved her even after learning the truth.

"I have told the Avengers to keep an eye out for you should either of you wish to visit." Thor said causing his mother to smile.

"Does Loki not wish to come back?"

"For now, Loki feels that space will give him time to think process the knowledge of his adoption. He has asked me to give you and mother one of our enchanted mirrors so that you both can talk to him." Thor said. Odin just nodded seeing the wisdom in his young son's words. Frigga though got this knowing look upon her face.

"That's how you talked to each other when I separated you two wasn't it?" Frigga asked slightly cross never having figured out how her sons had been able to get around her punishment.

"Yes," Thor said bashfully before offering his mother his arm. "I am on my way to Loki's room now to get him some items would you both care to join me?"

"Unfortunately, I have a meeting with the council," Odin said looking annoyed at the concept of meeting with the council. "I shall join you both when it is over."

"I would love to help you, Thor," Frigga said taking her son's offered arm. "I know a few shrinking spells we can cast on Loki's clothes so that we don't have to dig around for something."

The family separated Odin towards the council's room and Frigga and Thor down the familiar route to Loki's chambers unaware of what they were about to discover.

Loki's Chambers

Thor and his mother had made a slight detour to pick up a small chest on their way to Loki's chamber. Like most Asgardian chests this one was enchanted to store many items making it easier to carry them when in battle or on a quest.

Currently, Thor and Frigga were searching for Sir Sly, when Thor had told his mother about Loki's desire for the small fox she had laughed slightly at her young sons desire to have the toy. Unfortunately, neither of them was having much luck finding the toy.

"Perhaps Loki placed it in his closet." Thor said closing one of the desks draws.

"Yes, your brother always did like hiding special items away at the back of it to keep them safe." Frigga confessed remembering her son's unusual habit of hiding items he treasured in the strangest of places.

Grabbing a stool Thor stood upon it and started rummaging through Loki's upper shelf when he came across a small chest hidden near the back he pulled it down showing it to his mother asking if she knew what it was.

"No, but it must be very special it has a lock." Frigga pointing at the heavy lock on the front of the chest as she and Thor sat down on Loki's bed to get a better look at the chest.

"Perhaps Loki locked Sir Sly away." Thor said knowing that it might be possible.

A sharp click was heard as the lock came undone and the chest opened, inside lay the fox plush they had been searching for and some other curious items. There was a beautifully crafted gold necklace with an emerald, a large journal and what appeared to be a small collection of paintings.

Picking up necklace Thor noticed a small card attached to it and read it out loud.

" _To my beautiful Hela,_

 _Love your father, Loki."_

"Thor you should look at these paintings." Frigga said passing the paintings to her son looking shocked.

Thor looked at the paintings, there were nine in total. The first was a handsome man with short brown hair and matching eyes. Following the man was a striking woman with sharp features and blonde, no Thor shook his head, white hair and an unusual pair of wine-coloured eyes. A familiar face greeted them next with her golden hair and cornflower blue eyes giving a warm radiance to her lovely face.

After them came another set of portraits but this time the subjects all appeared to be children. A young boy how looked very similar to the man was first but his eyes were green instead of brown. Two boys shared the next frame, one boy had dark blonde hair and turquoise coloured eyes well the other had black hair and golden eyes; each was giving the royal family a mischievous look. Then came another set of boys, this time twins who looked shockingly like Loki, but their features were softer and they had fair blonde hair rather then black framing their green eyes. The final painting was of a pretty young girl who looked like a female version of Loki complete with black hair and green eyes.

' _They all look so happy whoever painted these must have loved them all very much.'_ Thor realized suddenly that if Loki had been the one to paint these he must have loved all of them very much. Each subject was wearing an expression of pure joy. Curious about who the were Thor turned the paintings over and nearly dropped them from shock.

 _Svaðilfari_

 _Angrboða_

 _Sigyn_

 _Sleipnir, year_ _10_

 _Jormungand_ _and_ _Fenrir_ _year 8_

 _Narvi_ _and_ _Vali, year_ _13_

 _Hela, year_ _8_

Both mother and son were shocked by the pictures, these were not the faces of the children and lovers they had come to now. Picking up the journal Thor started to read the first page out loud.

 _Dear Thor_

 _If you're reading this then I am now dead. I have been expecting this for a long-time brother so I ask you for one final favour, please help me save my children._

 **Author's Note**

 **Frigga, Odin and Heimdall have now been brought up to speed on the situation with Loki and bonus everyone finds out what happened to Loki when he went to Midgard originally at this age, it was sad but I figured it would work with my story. Just so everyone knows Frigga …. well, she's going to be a bit scary coming up so if you have a fear of angry mothers hide now.**

 **And thoughts on Loki's lovers and kids, how did everyone like the paintings? Figuring out how everyone besides Hela and Sigyn was going to look was hard I had no comic book or Norse pictures to work from.**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review telling me what you thought and I'll see you all again next week.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _Dear Thor_

 _If you're reading this then I am now dead. Please do not feel sad, I have been expecting this for a long-time so I ask you as one final favour brother, please help me save my children._

 _I suppose you're wondering what I mean when I ask you to save them, to you and the rest of Asgard my children are nothing but beasts and monsters. But Thor I swear to you on the Yggdrasil itself they didn't start out that way. As you well know I have many enemies, these particular enemies are unfortunately closer then you think and I must beg you not to seek them out in revenge. I have already lost my children to them, I don't wish to see you with me in the realm of the dead until you are as old as father and twice as large as Volstagg at least._

Thor snorted, despite his anger, he could still hear Loki's dry humour through the words and wondered how much he would have to eat to accomplish that goal.

 _Returning to my children though, many of them have magic like me and also have the ability to shapeshift. Unlike myself though who can take on the form of whatever or whoever I want they are only able to turn into the animal manifestation of their souls. Since you probably don't know what that means I will explain, every person in nine realms has a creature they connect to on a spiritual level. My children were able to change into these forms as easily as they did breathe which made me very proud as their father especially when I taught them how to use that form to survive._

 _You should have seen them Thor running and playing with each other or tracking me down well I was a fox. Do not laugh, foxes are intelligent creatures. Which is why if you are as smart as I hope you are you've figured out that Sir Sly was the password to opening the chest._

Thor looked down at the homemade fox toy wondering if Loki had known somehow what he was doing for when he insisted so much on having the toy.

"It does explain why they were all different." Frigga murmured next to Thor.

"What do you mean mother?"

"It's more than just an animal you connect with, it symbolizes your very spirit. Your father is a bear, I am a swan," Frigga explained to her eldest looking at the portraits of the children sadly. "Since you held no interest in magic we never did find out yours."

 _The council for some reason hates me and use this hate to fuel their campaign against me, I know not if this is there will though or if the act on someone else's orders. I know you might not believe me about them, they are always kind to you but the contempt they hold towards me which only increased Baldur's death._

Thor looked at the queen seriously. "Were they aware of Loki's heritage mother?"

Frigga nodded hands balling into fists. "They knew everything."

 _When I was old enough you may recall that father placing me on the council to learn about how to run the kingdom so that I could help you in the future. My first role was to help them broker a deal for the rebuilding of a wall that had fallen leaving part of the city vulnerable to attack. Looking back, I should have realized something was wrong from the start, the council was to kind when they told me I was the most skilled for the job. They were actually willing to risk the safety of our kingdoms people just to see me fail._

 _Though it was not all bad if I'm being honest I met Svaðilfari, no Thor he wasn't a horse but instead the horse's handler. Svaðilfari was wonderful Thor; truly our family would have loved him and the passion he had for life that it is no surprise that we fell for each other almost as soon as we saw each other._

Thor noticing dried tear marks on the page where Loki mentioned Svaðilfari, obviously this story did not have a happy ending.

 _The council foolishly agreed to let the builder use his horse Sva to build the way, I tried to tell them that it was a bad idea. The builder was too confident but they did not listen and by the time they realized their mistake it was too late. They then turned on me demanding that I find a way to fix it; they even lied to father saying it was my fault to begin with, that_ _ **I**_ _had made the deal without_ _ **their**_ _approval. When I saw that disappointment in our father's eyes Thor, my heart broke._

"Oh, my son." Frigga said sadly recalling Odin's face clearly that day as he heard the outrageous treasures that the builder had been promised should he succeed.

 _I had secretly been seeing Svaðilfari during this time and one night we decided to take it to the next phase in our relationship. I will not tell you the sordid details and I know you might not like the idea of me being with another man I loved him, I still do._

"Man or woman I wouldn't have cared as long as you were happy." Thor said angrily out loud at his brothers' words.

 _Unfortunately, the next day was the deadline, when the builder found us killing Svaðilfari believing he had betrayed him. I hope you never see someone you love die in front of you Thor it leaves a hole in one's heart that can never be healed. And as angry as I was for his death I restrained myself from killing and instead fled to Vanaheim with his body and Sva where I discovered through some miracle that I was pregnant._

 _I decided to stay on Vanaheim fearing of what mother and father would think of me,_

Thor felt his mother squeeze his arm tighter, looking over he saw tears falling from her eyes.

 _it wasn't to be forever I sent them a letter saying that I needed to work on my sorcery and planned to return when Sleipnir was old enough for me to say that he was the product of myself and a woman I had met there and passed away during childbirth._

 _Thor, you should have seen him, Sleipnir was truly the best parts of us. He had Svaðilfari's looks, love for Sva and the same passion for life but with my eyes, quick wit and sorcery. He might not have been as powerful as me but given time his mind would have worked out new ways to use magic. Sleipnir thought the art of magic some large puzzle that he could unravel and improve given enough time. And he loved hearing stories about his brave Uncle Thor and grandparents who we would journey to meet when he was older. Sleipnir even shocked me one day by turning into a horse; I did a spell trying to see if he was a shapeshifter like me, imagine my surprise when I discovered that my ability evolved in him and let him change into the animal he most connected with._

"He did the same thing with me as a child," Frigga chuckled smiling at a memory. "I would suddenly find myself holding a small kit in my arms instead of a little boy."

 _We lived together in peace for ten wonderful years before the council found us; they killed Sva and cursed Sleipnir locking him in the form you know now. Then they dragged us both before father and demanded I be punished for causing the wall to not be completed, they spun lies to father and to this day I do not know why but he believed them._

"Why did father believe them?" Thor asked.

"He didn't, however at the time your brother had disappeared without a word unable to defend himself against the allegations," Frigga answered remembering the angry council demanding blood from her son because of the unfinished wall. "They demanded your brother's life but Odin would not have that saying that if Loki was too young and inexperienced to handle a deal so important they should have been watching over him more carefully."

 _They demanded my son's life when they couldn't get mine but Odin would have no part in that instead took him as his own steed. I hate that my son is being used as some sort of beast of burden but father assures me that it was the only way to protect Sleipnir and that he would only ride him when necessary. I tried to undo the curse in secret and was banned from ever visiting him by father. I think he believed I'd gone mad and was trying to stop anyone else from finding out since my reputation was already ruined beyond repair from the councils lies._

Frigga hissed dangerously next to Thor.

 _For four years I lived in grief until I met Angrboða, a small frost giantess sent to Asgard to try and steal back the Casket of Eternal Winters. Even though I was unaware of who she really was we became fast friends given that we both so much alike, one night after too much mead we slept together._

"He never could hold his drink." Thor mused remembering his brother's weakness against meads and wine.

 _In the morning I awoke to her crying beside me, Angrboða confessed to me why she had truly come to Asgard. I was so angry at her I told her that because of our friendship I would not speak of this to anyone but she must never return to Asgard again. She left that very day and sometime later I received a letter saying that she was on Midgard and pregnant with my child. Immediately rushed down there to find her, when I did she was so glad to see me having feared that I would want nothing to do with a half- frost giant child._

 _Though we shared no romantic feelings for each other we decided to raise our child together on Midgard. I'd told Angrboða of what the council had done to Sleipnir and she told me that if the frost giants found out she failed to obtain the casket they would kill her and our child so it was safe for all of us to stay there._

 _We lived in peace together for a few months before the Fenrir was born soon followed Jormungand, unfortunately when little Hela came along Angrboða's strength was failing her. She used the last bit of life to give birth to our daughter and live just long enough to hold them and give them their names before she passed away._

"Angrboða was a mother and friend to be proud of." Frigga solemnly spoke.

 _I grieved for my friend and swore to her grave that I would protect our children. They were much like Sleipnir being able to turn into their soul animals though I came to discover later that they were apart of chaos magic._

Frigga gasped at the written words.

"Mother, what is chaos magic?" Thor asked having never heard of the term before.

"Very ancient and powerful, you become a part of nature itself. Loki himself can tap into this power himself which is why he is able to do some of the magic he can do without help from another sorcerer," Frigga explained to Thor picking up the portraits of the triplets and looking at them proudly. "There have been none besides him in any realm for over thousand of year."

 _Each of my children governed a different part of natures chaos. Fenrir ruled over the lands changing into a wolf, Jormungand was a sea serpent dominating all those in the water and my beautiful Hela commanded the skies as a hawk. Had they been allowed to grow they might have brought stability to the nine realms with their abilities._

"It is true, they would have brought fortune to any realm they called home." Frigga said wondering just how stupid the council was for letting such a rare and precious gift slip through their fingers.

 _When they were eight the army found us demanding that I hand them over, when I asked why they said they someday be the cause of Asgard's ruin. I returned with them and discovered that a mad sorcerer had made a prophecy, Thor you should know that true oracles like mother need to have their visions confirmed by the Norns. Everyone knows this but it seems none were brave enough to do this and insisted that my children were monsters._

"Odin had ordered the council contact the Norns at once when he heard of the prophecy," Frigga growled. "Those lying bastards, they told us that they approved the visions. They overstep their authority too much and could very well bring the wrath of the very Norns down upon us all."

 _I tried to tell them it wasn't true but when I returned to them I found my children under the same curse that had been placed up them as Sleipnir, only Hela had been able to avoid it and was thrown into Niflheim._

 _It took me a year to find her in that place but by then it was already too late Hela was as you know her now, half alive and half dead. Knowing that now she could never leave the realm I conquered Niflheim and made her queen so that I could see her whenever I wanted, unlike her brothers who were either cast out of our realm or chained underneath it with me once again forbidden from seeing them._

"How we must have hurt you Loki, you believed we abandoned you but it was already too late when we discovered what had been done." Frigga said remembering how furious she and Odin had been when they discovered that Jormungand had been cast into Midgard's oceans and Fenrir chained up below their land. However, Odin's hands were tied, the citizens of Asgard had been informed of the prophecy somehow and believed the correct course of action had been taken to protect themselves.

Thor picked up Hela's portrait and looked at it sadly. "She looks much like Loki."

"Do you think that is why they threw her into Niflheim?" Frigga wondered looking at the smiling girl running her fingers over the delicate face.

"If they hated Loki as much as he says then it is possible." Thor nodded knowing that it was entirely possible that Hela was murdered because of her shared features with Loki.

 _This is how I came to meet Sigyn again; as my childhood friend and a palace mind healer she knew exactly how to help me through my mourning. Without Sigyn and the others, it is entirely possible that I would have died this time from heartbreak._

 _Eventually, over the next couple of years, we fell in love and were married. When we discovered Sigyn pregnant I made it known to father and mother as soon as possible to stop the council from taking these children as they had before._

"We were so happy when the announced the marriage and pregnancy." Frigga said remembering the look of happiness in her son and daughter-in-law's faces when they made their news known to the royal family.

 _We had two beautiful boys, Narvi and Vali._

 _Thankfully neither possessed my magic or shape-shifting; I believed truly with all my heart that they could not be taken from me, but it was too good to be true. One day when we were exploring all Midgard a mortal got caught in the Bifrost return. I wiped his memory and sent him back as soon as Heimdall noticed him but eventually it was found out, how I am still not sure. The council cornered one day me demanded I return to Midgard, find the boy and kill him. Can you believe that Thor a small mortal boy who now thought our land a strange dream?_

 _When I refused so they changed Vali into a wolf and had him kill Narvi. Once he changed back Vali was driven mad with guilt so much so that I had to cast a spell on him removing all his memories. Sigyn could not forgive what happened and left with Vali to the outer lands of Asgard._

"So that is why she left." Frigga said. The Allmother had always wondered how her son and daughter-in-law's marriage had ended always believing Narvi's death to being the cause of their divorce.

 _Now that you know the truth you must take this necklace to Hela ask her for the others. My daughter is the only person I trust with the rest of the necklaces since any attempt to force her hand will end in death. I know that Jormungand will be the most difficult to find so seek out Amora, tell her that it is safe to finally scry Midgard for his location._

 _I know that you are probably angry learning the truth but do not try and fight against the council. Those men may not have as much power over you now as they might think but that does not mean they are not still dangerous. And this is not the kind of danger you can simply throw your hammer and destroy, they have spies everywhere._

 _As soon as they are free take my children to Vanahiem and hide them away so that they might live out their lives in peace. Tell them I love them and make them swear to you that they will not take revenge; I do want their hands stained with blood._

Frigga gave a small smile. "I'm sorry my son but when this is over all of you will finally come home."

 _And Thor, don't tell mother or father either it would break their hearts if they knew the truth,_

"My heart is full of anger as will Odin's be when he learns the truth." Frigga said knowing that Odin will want to kill the council once he learns of their deeds and manipulations.

 _I know I can trust you to do what I ask, you are strong and brave and I hope you can forgive me. Though you are to be king in a few days I fear you would become an unknowing puppet to the council should you take the throne right now, so I have to stop it._

Thor and Frigga now realized when Loki had written this.

 _I will let a pair of frost giants in on the day of your coronation, I know you will be angry so I hope with a subtle nudge you can show father that you still lack the temperament to be king right now. The council will somehow find a way to blame me for what this and demand my death, I know it is coming and will gladly sacrifice my life if it means saving my children._

 _I love you, Thor, though I get jealous of you sometimes never think that I don't._

 _Rule wisely and never lose your heart brother._

 _Loki._

"But nothing went as you planned brother and we lost you never knowing the truth." Thor said sadly.

"Thor," Frigga spoke calmly next to her son placing a hand on his arm but as Thor looked at it he saw it shaking slightly and knowing that it was shaking in anger. "We must tell Odin of what we have learned."

Thor looked at the portraits again, specifically his nieces. "No, I must go see Hela."

"Thor Odinson you listen to me," Frigga said taking her oldest by the ear like she had done with him when he was a small child. "We will tell your father first then you will go to see Hela."

"What of Loki's things mother?" Thor asked looking at the chest they had brought only half full of clothes and toys. "He will be expecting them soon."

Frigga smiled dangerously. "I believe this to be a task worthy of the Warriors Three and Lady Sif."

 **Authors Note**

 **I took creative liberties with Loki's kids and the stories behind them but I hope everyone enjoyed them I know they are really sad but you can make plans to start lynching the council if you like. Please tell me what you thought of them though.**

 **In case anyone is wondering in human years Loki was 16 when Sleipnir was born, 20 with the triplets and 22 when the twins came. When the journal was written just before the events of 'Thor' and he was 27. During the 'Avengers' Loki was 29 and during my story, he's about 34. Just so everyone knows**

 **I might start going back and forth between Asgard and Earth for the foreseeable future so be prepared for that and any cliffhangers.**

 **I totally made soul creatures and chaos magic up so tell me what you think of it. As for the animals I mentioned tell me what you think of my choices, I looked it up and here are some meanings behind the animals.**

 **Loki (Fox) = Cleverness, Subtlety**

 **Sleipnir (Horse) Freedom, Power**

 **Jormungand (Snake, much easier to find then sea serpent) = Power, Life Force**

 **Fenrir (Wolf) = Loyalty, Independence**

 **Hela (Hawk) = Awareness, Truth**

 **Odin (Bear) = Strength**

 **Frigga (Swan) = Elegance, Nurturing**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review telling me what you thought and I'll see you all again next week.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Thor and Frigga finished gathering everything Loki could possibly need into the chest as quickly as possible, then the queen shrunk the smaller of the two down and placed it into the larger chest so that none of the spies her son mentioned could discover it and get rid of the evidence. Once everything was locked away under Frigga's most powerful spells the pair made their way to the royal bedchambers to wait for Odin.

And well they waited mother and son discussed what they would do next and came up with a rough plan. Using Frigga's idea to have Sif and the Warrior's Three deliver the chest to Loki it was also decided that the four Asgardian warriors would also stay at Avenger's mansion. Though Thor trusted his midgardian allies with his life he would feel safer knowing that they had the backup in case the council heard of Loki's reappearance.

Thor in the meantime would travel to Niflheim and retrieve the treasures Hela had been entrusted with. With the means of saving his nephews the thunderer would free Sleipnir and Fenrir well Odin and Frigga discretely searched for Sigyn and the Enchantress.

When Odin entered his chambers and saw the furious look upon his wife's and son's the king knew something was wrong and asked what had happened. Frigga calmly took out miniaturized chest, returning it to its original size and handed it to Odin with a dark look. Confused Odin spoke the password and began sifting through its contents, once he had finished reading the journal and looking at the portrait's tears were running freely from the kings one eye.

"This is no time for tears my love," Frigga told her husband sternly watching as he placed the items back in the chest with the greatest of care. "Now is the time for action."

Odin wiped the tears away and nodded letting anger push aside the heartbreak and shame he felt for causing so much pain to Loki. "I agree, but I am still saddened by just how much I have hurt our family without ever realizing it. I will immediately have the council arrested for these crimes."

Thor moved quickly to stand between his parents and the chamber doors. "Father, though I would normally agree with you and lead the charge myself I must remind you both that we need to be careful about how we approach this."

"They have used me to hurt those I love, I want their blood for this offence." Odin growled clenching his fists looking ready to call upon Gungnir at any moment and set out to hunt each man on the council down.

"We both do," Frigga hissed nodding along with her husband's idea looking at a tempting pair of swords that hung over their fireplace. "Their heads on pikes will do as a start."

"And what of Loki?" Thor asked reminding the pair of Loki's current condition. "In his present state, he would not be able to defend himself against them or anyone they might send after him."

Odin looked at his eldest with an unreadable expression. "Then what do you suggest we do my son?"

"We take a page from Loki's book as the saying goes," Thor answered grinning deviously. "My friends will go to Midgard and secretly assist them in keeping Loki safe. During this time, we will work on removing as much power from the council's hands without arousing their suspicion."

"What then?" Frigga asked looking slightly less furious than before yet still reminding Thor of a serpent poised to strike.

"We save them all," Thor assured his mother watching as a little more of his anger disappeared from her eyes as she was reminded of her grandchildren. "Then we will find a way to return Loki to how he was before so that they may be reunited."

Odin looked at his son proudly. "You have become wise in these last years my son."

"Believe me, father I wish I wasn't," Thor growled looking at both his parents well his wrapped one hand around Mjolnir's handle feeling her raging storm pulse beneath it. "I would enjoy nothing more than beating these men into paste with Mjolnir, however Loki and his children are more important. Once they are secure we can handle the council and their wrongs against our family at our leisure."

"Agreed," Odin nodded looking at his wife. "You should search for Sigyn and Vali my love well I look for the Enchantress so that the council does not become suspicious of us."

"It worries me about why Loki would trust her so much." Frigga said remembering the bad blood between her son and Amora, even though they had once been good friends in their youth.

"I believe I have an idea on the why," Odin said looking worried at the possible motive. "Amora is just as skilled as our son with magic, even better in some ways which would make her a powerful ally. For years the council has been trying to suppress magic because they despise it leaving many skilled practitioners waiting for a chance to strike pack against them."

"Surely even they would not be so bold as to try and cut magic out of Asgard." Thor said horrified by the idea. Even though he was unable to use it like Loki the thunderer knew that Asgard depended on magic as one of its lifeblood's.

"Unfortunately, Thor they have been trying to do just that," Frigga said in a frustrated tone to her son. "Over the past view centuries many magical studies have been deemed criminal to even study because of their loathing, and these last few years have been some of the worst."

"Is it because of what Loki did?"

"More of what he could have done my son," Odin said looking grim. "They also believe that by doing away with magic our warriors would be strong enough to conquer all nine realms."

"They still hunger for the past where Asgard asserted dominance through war," Frigga continued placing her hand on Odin's arm. "We have fended it off as best we could but they are just waiting for the opportunity to wage war again."

Thor now understood why Loki had tried so hard to make sure he hadn't been placed on the throne; his brother was worried that with Thor's thirst for a war he would do exactly as the council wanted and draw all the realms into a senseless battle.

"We shall not let that happen," Thor vowed looking determined. "Once the matter with Loki is settled we shall restore the kingdom to its former balance of magic and might."

"This is why I wished for you and Loki to rule together," Odin said looking sad again at the dream he had once had. "You both understood Asgard and her people, even though it was from completely different paths."

"I will do my best to make your dream come true," Thor swore to his father before looking at his mother. "Mother I will make sure that you can hold your whole family once we have finished our work."

"Thank you, Thor," Frigga smiled at the idea at her family whole once more. "Though Narvi is forever lost to us and Hela ruler of another realm I would still very much like to know them as Loki did."

"Then let us begin."

Heimdall's Observatory

Summoning Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three hadn't been much of a challenge, they were already prepared for another quest after hearing about Thor's early return from Midgard. What was surprising was that the king and queen were with him and that Odin had sworn them all too absolute secrecy as soon as they arrived.

Although they had a harder time believing Loki's story they agreed to hold off their judgment until they had more proof than a journal to back up the trickster's accusations against some of the highest ranked men in the realm.

"My King, the council will notice something is amiss and ask me what is happening." Heimdall spoke to Odin seriously.

"My friend, I would never ask you to lie," Odin smiled looking up at the guardian. "If they come to you then what you tell them up to your discretion. If it is that Thor searches for clues about a sorcerer who has made their appearance on Midgard or something similar then that is completely up to you."

"Meanwhile should anyone ask you four have been sent to midgard to offer the mortals support against an enemy as a sign of good will between our realms." Frigga added in case the council noticed the missing warriors.

"I will do as you ask but it shall only stall them for so long," Heimdall nodded looking back towards the city briefly. "I fear they will find out the truth about the young prince somehow."

"How?" Fandral spoke raising one eyebrow. "If they hate magic so much they would never use it themselves."

"Something has been suspicious about them since the young prince's disappearance three years ago." Heimdall explained to everyone giving all a slight shock at his words.

"Do you think they had something to do with it?" Odin asked dangerously.

"I am not sure," Heimdall answered honestly looking at the royal couple with a serious face. "Loki's cell was blocked from my sight when he disappeared and they were a little too happy when I was unable to find him."

"I see," Frigga said in a calm tone of voice at the news well everyone else felt a shiver run up their spines. "Heimdall please keep an eye on them as best you can, if they show any suspicious behaviour or disappear alert Odin or myself immediately."

"Yes, my queen." Heimdall bowed knowing that as powerful as Odin was Frigga could best him when angry-making her extremely dangerous when in battle.

Opening the Bifrost the four warriors made their way through but not without Fandral looking back at Thor and grinned. "Loki always did like leaving puzzles behind didn't he."

"It is his nature." Thor answered back before his friends disappeared and he made his way forwards intent on seeing his niece for the first time in decades.

Avengers Mansion

Loki watched his brother disappear in a bright flash of light leaving only an empty space and burned grass behind. Not wanting to miss Thor's return Loki sat down on the grass and started to wait for his brother.

Seeing that the boy wouldn't be leaving anytime soon Jane gave the others a thumbs up letting them know that she would stay with him. Sitting down beside him Jane decided she wanted to know more about the person who had inadvertently brought her and Thor together.

"I know how you feel; I always hate it when he leaves."

Loki looked at the woman next to him curiously. "Do you always wait for him?"

"Yes," Jane nodded glancing up at the sky momentarily before back at Loki. "I once waited for two years to see him again."

"It was because of me?" Loki asked bringing his knees up so he could rest his chin on them. "Because of what I did."

"Yes."

"Will you tell me about it?" Loki said wondering how he could have hurt someone who was so nice to him.

"If we're being honest, I hated you," Jane answered looking serious well Loki couldn't help but flinch at the brutally honest answer. "I know Thor told you how you killed him and he forgave you, I just couldn't do that though."

Loki placed one hand over his heart. "It still hurts here, hearing about what I've done. But I think it would hurt more not knowing."

"Which is why I can't help but envy you," Jane muttered acknowledging that feeling that had taken root in her chest ever since Thor first told her he wished to save his brother from himself. "You killed Thor and separated us, you also hurt my friend Erik when you invaded New York. Most people would just let you rot in jail but Thor can't do that, he loves you so much that he would do anything for you."

"Is he dead?" Loki asked. "Your friend."

"No, you see you were able to take over people's minds five years ago, like how we now know yours might have been taken over," Jane said telling Loki of what he had done to her mentor. "Erik was one of those people, you made him help build a portal device to help. You and that not only hurt him but Darcy and I tremendously when we heard what had happened."

"Do you still hate me?"

Jane just gave a small smile and placed one arm around the boy pulling him closer to her in an awkward looking hug, much to Loki's confusion.

"No, I held onto it for a long time but then Thor showed up saying that you had gone missing," Jane responded remembering the look of panic and agony on Thor's when he told her that Loki had disappeared suddenly and no one was able to find him. Though he didn't cry that night Jane spent the night holding the God of Thunder like he was a small child. "I haven't forgiven you completely yet but I've learned to let go of much of my anger."

"Why?"

"Because if Thor was able to love you so much then you can't be all bad," Jane replied remembering all the stories Thor had told her that night about his brother before everything had gone wrong for them. Hearing about Loki's dry sense of humour and cleverness had piqued the scientist curiosity the more she heard about it from Thor's stories. "There had to be a glimmer of something good inside you somewhere."

Loki lifted his arms and returned the hug. "Lady Jane you remind me of my mother."

"Why's that?" Jane wondered trying to figure out what she and an immortal queen could possibly have in common.

"Mother has this strength about her that is more powerful than anything I have ever seen before," Loki explained. "She smiles and forgives, even when a person has committed the most horrible of deeds."

"Thank you, Loki," Jane smiled giving the boy a small kiss on top of his head. "What do you plan to do now that I've told you this? Will you continue to seek the truth about your past?"

"Yes," Loki nodded determined not to let Jane see his red face. "I promise you though when I am big again I will find your friend Erik and apologize to him for what I have done."

"He may not accept it, Erik still blames himself and you because of what happened." Jane said remembering one of the many drunken rants to her over the phone about how he would never be able to forgive the trickster for what he made Erik do.

"Even so I must do it to try and fix some of the harm I have caused," Loki said snuggling into Jane's side. "And I will apologize to you, Lady Darcy properly also."

"I'm starting to see why Thor loves you so much." Jane said seeing for the first time in the boy the man who her lover cared for so much.

"And I see why he loves you too," Loki said back giving the woman a slightly mischievous look. "Thor had better not hurt you though Lady Jane or I will have to remind him of his manners."

Jane just laughed giving her small protector another hug well they continued to talk, mostly about Asgard and magic but Loki also threw in some funny stories about Thor well they waited. When it started to get dark Clint came over and convinced them it was time to come inside, even though Loki hadn't wanted to come in at first but the archer had promised that if Thor showed up they would immediately tell him.

Loki knew walking back to the mansion that his quest to find the truth about his past was just starting but if he was going to make amends once he was an adult again he had to start somewhere.

 **Author's Notes**

 **I'm SO sorry this update took so long I went to a weekend workshop and then had a lot of shifts at work right after, not that I'm complaining mind you. It's just with the holiday season fast approaching and my working in retail my updates might become a little less frequent so please don't think I'm abandoning all of you.**

 **Next up Thor visits Hela and the Warrior's Three and Sif arrive.**

 **Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought and I'll see you all again next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Thor stood before the Queen of the Dead, his niece Hela and felt overwhelming fear course through his veins. Rarely had they ever met, save once when she appeared to the Allfather to greet him as Niflheim's new queen but he had heard stories of her fierce temper and skill with blades. If Hela took after Loki just in appearance then Thor knew that getting the necklaces from her would not be an easy task, no other being in the nine realms could a grudge like his brother.

"Why have you come to my realm Asgardian?" Hela asked in a bored tone leaning back against her throne indifferent to her uncle's presence in her realm. Garm, Hela's underworld guardian watched the thunderer intently looking ready to strike the moment should his mistress give the order.

"I seek an audience with you about your father Hela," Thor spoke calmly calling the queen by her name instead of title hoping to convey that this visit was for personal reasons.

"As far as I was aware _your_ people _lost_ him," Hela said hissing to her uncle waving one hand at Thor in a dismissive gesture. "I do not know where Loki is, now leave my realm."

"I have not come to ask if you know where Loki is," Thor frowned holding his head high not backing down from the command. "I ask that you give me what he entrusted you with."

Hela froze pinning Thor to the spot with unseen eyes well Garm growled deeply next to her obviously not liking how much of impact the man's words had on his mistress. Sensing that her pet might try to attack Hela reached and placed her hand on Garms' head leaning forward.

"Those treasures come with a high cost."

Thor took a deep breath to calm his nerves, he was not leaving without those necklaces even if it meant tearing his niece's kingdom apart to get them. "I will gladly pay that cost to see Loki's children free and safe."

"Safe," Hela sneered dangerously standing up from her throne glaring down at Thor from beneath her helmet placing one hand in front of Garms face commanding him to stay. "You speak of safety but do you know what will happen to my siblings once you place these necklaces on them."

"Hela," Thor spoke trying to reason with his angry niece seeing that she defiantly inherited her fathers' temper. "Loki wished you all free."

"Then where were you when I waited for you uncle!" Hela roared unexpectedly causing Garm to whine slightly from the unexpected volume.

"Nothing went as your father predicted," Thor pleaded. "I did not know."

"But you knew that we were Loki's and still you mocked him for having _monsters_ for children," Hela cried making Thor wince as he recalled all the times he and his friends had poked fun at Loki for his children's forms. "You and all of Asgard never once tried to see the truth because you were so blinded by lies."

"I'm sorry Hela," Thor apologized trying to quell his niece's anger getting on one knee and bowing his head in shame. "I can only ask for your forgiveness."

"My brothers and I might have given you that before Thor, future king of Asgard because of your ignorance," Hela growled causing Thor to flinch slightly at how much she sounded like Garm. "But with our father spirited away, we will only ever know peace when I collect his soul."

"Loki has been found," Thor said raising his head noticing the look of slight surprise to appear on Hela's face.

Hela felt confliction and quickly turned her back to her uncle so that Thor could not glimpse anymore of the emotions as they danced across her face. Seeing her pain so clearly, Garm walked towards his mistress giving her hand a few comforting licks. Hela smiled at this gesture, many thought her pet was only a vicious attack dog but Garm was as loyal to his queen as Odin's own wolves Geri and Freki.

"If Loki truly lives then he can come and collect the necklaces himself, it need not be you anymore Thor Odinson who saves my brothers," Hela spoke raising her head high as she walked back towards her throne and sitting upon it as nothing had ever happened face now smirking as she looked at her uncle. "Unless you desire my father in your debt."

"I am trying to make right the wrongs I committed," Thor argued saying for the first time some of how he felt since about Loki's silence in the situation. "But I am the only one to blame niece, Loki never came to us."

Hela looked at her uncle not disagreeing with him, what Thor said was true her father had never once tried to stop the council. "True enough, but ask yourself this. Why did Loki become the God of Lies?"

"I … I don't know," Thor shaking his head. When the mortals asked centuries ago what they were gods of Loki's choice had surprised many. "Before I would have said it was because he could spin lies as easily as he drew breath, however now I am not sure."

"Yes, my father can lie and manipulate very easily like you say," Hela smiled before going in for the kill. "But he is able to tell when a person is lying. Loki told me once that when someone lies it is like a shadow covers them for a second, and the more you do it the longer it stays until eventually you never re-emerge."

Thinking back now Thor was able to see why Loki had come to trust Hawkeye and Lady Natasha so quickly. His brother must have thought they shared his gift unaware that their skill was more of a learned art than a natural one.

Looking up at Hela Thor pleaded with his niece once more. "If you share that gift in any way Hela, please look now and see that I tell you no lie."

"Then why hasn't he come back for them?" Hela spoke sadly, sounding much like a lost child. Like Loki had when Thor told him the truths about his past.

"Loki cannot see you because he does not know you, a spell has been cast upon him reverting him back to childhood," Thor explained to Hela about her father's current form. Taking the risk Thor moved slowly and moved closer to Hela until he was able to place a hand on her shoulder noticing that it was shaking slightly. "He has no memories of anything past Baldur's death."

Hela pulled herself back as if burnt. "If you are lying to me -"

"I speak the truth," Thor interrupted. Normally never do such a thing to another ruler however with Hela acting as stubborn as Loki Thor knew she would never yield in the argument. "Please, Hela give me the necklaces I wish to save your brothers."

Hela sat debating to herself with what to do, true her uncle did appear to be telling the truth and she longed for the day when her brothers were all free. But the Goddess of the Dead also didn't want to cause her father anymore harm so if Thor was being used or manipulated by anyone …

Well, the revenge she would reek up him and Asgard would just be the first stop on her quest for vengeance.

Waving one hand Hela summoned a simple black box; taking the box in both hands the Queen of Helheim once again rose from her throne opened the lid. Inside Thor saw four necklaces identical to the one in his pouch each bearing their own name tag telling the thunderer who they were meant for.

Thor looked at his niece. "What will happen when I give them to your brothers?"

"Sleipnir, Jormungand and Fenrir will revert back to their original forms, these necklaces will see to that," Hela said closing the box and gently handing it to Thor. "Be warned though they will not be children."

"Do you know how old they will be?" Thor asked accepting the box with the greatest care.

"No, my brothers and I have aged differently," Hela answered before she frowned slightly. "It is more their minds you have to worry about."

"I do not understand."

"They have been locked in those forms for hundreds of years uncle," Hela explained hoping that at least Thor had learned about what soul manifestations were before he came to see her. "At the very worst their minds are feral."

"Hela," Thor smiled at his niece reassuringly. "If I know Loki he's already figured out a way of stopping that from happening."

"Perhaps," Hela said giving a small smile of her own knowing that what her uncle said would probably be true, still she wanted to prepare herself for the worst wanted Thor to do the same. "You must take them to my father no matter what his appearance may be they will know him on some level."

"What of Vali?" Thor asked remembering Loki's unchanged son. "Loki took his memories will he get them back."

"It might be too large a risk to give my younger brother his memories back," Hela replied sadly remembering when Narvi showed up in her realm unexpectedly, she feared that Vali would soon follow after hearing what was happening. "His necklace, however, will protect him and my step-mother from harm."

Moving the box carefully Thor pulled the pouch from his side and handed it to Hela. "Loki made one for you as well."

"Why would he keep this from me?" Hela asked sounding angry and sad at the same time well she gazed down at the pouch in her hand.

"Loki's motives are never clear to any but him," Thor said having long ago given up on understanding why his brother did what he did. "If I had to guess though it was so you would also be protected also."

"I am dead, what more could the council do to me." Hela scoffed bitterly picking up the item and watching as the jewel glittered in the flames.

"Hela," Thor sighed placing a hand on his niece's own well she cradled the necklace. "You are Loki's child, no matter how old or powerful you may still get he will always try and protect you."

Feeling a small tear run down her face the queen of the underworld unclasped the necklace and put it on letting so that it would always serve as a reminder to her about her fathers love for her. Much to everyone's surprise, especially Hela's, the necklace quickly started to glow expanding until the light it emitted swallowed up the woman completely.

Thor had to shield his eyes from the brightness of the light and would not have been at all surprised if it was seen clear across to the other side of Niflheim. Once it faded and Thor was able to uncover his eyes he saw not see his niece standing in front of him anymore but a large black hawk where Hela had once stood.

"Hela?"

The hawk just gave another sharp cry before it quickly morphed back into the queen of the dead, who now wore a large smile on her face, similar to the one she had worn in Loki's painting. "Father has given me back my wings."

"You had lost them?" Thor inquired watching amused as Hela knelt down had hugged Garm.

"My banishment here robbed me of them," Hela said clutching the necklace against her chest feeling the warm light from the jewel.

"Can you tell if it does anything else?" Thor asked curiously wondering just what else the necklace might do.

"I … I feel protection spells woven into the chain," Hela marvelled feeling all the layered spells Loki had placed into the chain knowing it must have taken a lot of time and energy. "All those who come at me with the intent to kill or harm will be stopped."

"Then it is like with Baldur," Thor said thinking that this magic sounded much very similar to what had been placed on his youngest brother.

"Yes," Hela nodded looking at the box in her uncle's hand. "If these spells are woven into the other necklaces then my brothers will be safe."

"Then it is safe to assume that the jewel breaks the curse," Thor said in awe at what Loki had created.

"Yes," Hela nodded just before her face got serious. "Thor Odinson, do you swear to me that you will find and deliver these necklaces to my brothers fulfilling my father Loki Odinson's quest."

"I do."

"Do you swear that once completed you will protect them from those who would do them harm," Hela spoke standing to her full height once more in front of Thor regaining her composure.

"I swear."

"Then I Hela Lokidottir, Queen of Helheim wish you luck on your quest." Hela nodded giving Thor a small bow which he returned not wanting to show any disrespect.

"Thank you niece," Thor said before realizing that with the news of Loki's return Hela might wish to see him. "Should you wish to visit Loki he is staying with my friends on Midgard."

"I just might take you up on your offer uncle." Hela smiled turning around and walking back to her throne with Garm as the green jewel shone brightly against her black outfit.

Avengers Mansion

"I don't want to sleep I'm not tired," Loki whined stamping his foot on the ground.

"Look it's late which means its time to sleep." Clint sighed wondering how the sweet little god had become such a brat in such a short amount of time. Jane had only left Loki in Clint's to call her and Darcy's hotel for an early checkout and since then the trickster had been trying to weasel out of going to sleep.

"No," Loki yelled turning around and taking off down the hall before Clint had a chance to stop him.

"Hey!" Clint called after him taking off after the small trickster hoping to catch him before anyone especially Natasha found him first.

Loki just ignored the archer and continued to run down the hallway using his magic to teleport away hoping that in this new place neither Clint or anyone else wouldn't be able to find him.

"Guys," Clint spoke into the communicator seeing Loki disappear in a puff of green smoke. "I lost Loki."

"What do you mean lost Barton?" Natasha hissed dangerously causing Clint to flinch slightly at the cold tone.

"He just took off on me when I was trying to put him to bed," Clint confessed not wanting to be on the bad side of his partner if he could avoid it.

"JARVIS says he's still in the mansion currently heading towards your lab Bruce." Tony's voice came over the comm causing Clint to hold his breath.

"I got him," Bruce said as Clint heard a yelp in the background before the small trickster voice came over the communicator as he turned his own off heading towards the lab before Natasha found and disembowelled him.

"Let me down," Loki squirmed struggling to get free from the arms holding his arms a few inches off the ground. "I don't want to sleep, I want to wait for Thor."

"Loki it's late," Bruce said having very little experience with kids outside of when he used to treat them as a doctor. "I think Thor would prefer if you went to bed instead of waiting for him."

"No, I don't want to sleep."

Bruce wasn't sure what to do, so far Loki had been the perfect kid not causing any problems or mischief to them even after learning about his past. Then suddenly remembering the incident in the tower he placed Loki back down on the ground and turned him around.

"Are you afraid of another nightmare?"

"I'm a future warrior of Asgard," Loki said puffing out his chest a little trying to look tough. "We don't get scared."

"It's ok if you are afraid, it sounded pretty scary to me," Bruce said remembering how in the early years following his accident Bruce hadn't slept much either not wanting to relive the Hulk's memories.

"I am not scared; I just want to wait for Thor." Loki pouted crossing his arms.

"Because nothing will come for you if Thor's here." Bruce reasoned knowing now that he was on the right track.

"Yes," Loki said nodding his head slowly. "Then the adult me won't have to show up again."

"I thought you wanted to be an adult again." Bruce wondered confused about the sudden 180 in Loki's desire to be an adult again.

"I do, but when I saw him he just looked so …" Loki said trailing off trying to find the right word.

"So?"

"Sad," Loki said trying to explain to the gamma scientist what he meant. "I don't want him to be sad anymore so I won't sleep and give the monster another chance to hurt him."

"Ok, I am officially dubbing this Loki logic." Tony's voice came over the communicator having eavesdropped in on the entire conversation.

"Loki how about you and I go watch some movies till Thor gets back?" Bruce said trying to come to a middle ground with the trickster hoping that he might fall asleep during one of the films.

"Mo-vies?"

"Yeah stories that you can watch," Bruce said going over the movies that the mansion was stocked up on. When they had all started living together Steve had bought some kids movies to help him learn about how cinema had changed over the decades. "We'll make some snacks and take over the entertainment area."

"You won't make me go to sleep?" Loki asked looking a little excited about the prospect of not having to go to bed.

"Only if you apologize to Clint for running off as you did," Bruce said seriously, Loki just shook his head in agreement as the pair started making their way up the stairs towards the kitchen for snacks.

"Uhh Bruce you might want to hold off on the movie marathon," Tony said knowing only Bruce could hear. "We have Asgardians in the main hall and no Thor."

"Looks like will have to put the movies on hold for a while," Bruce said looking at Loki who looked suspicious at the sudden change in plans. "Some Asgardians have shown up."

"Is Thor with them?" Loki asked excitedly his green eyes sparklingly.

"No," Bruce shook his head watching Loki deflate a little. "But since we haven't heard any explosions they must be ok."

"So ... Thor sent you as backup?" Steve said looking at the four oddly dressed people in front of him. Aside from the brothers themselves, Steve hadn't ever met any other Asgardians but already he could tell that Tony was going to be making a lot of jokes and just hoped he would be able to understand all the references.

"Yes, we will explain what we have been told once we deliver this to Loki." The woman said stiffly gesturing to the chest in the dark-haired man's hands.

"No offence but none of you looks happy to be here," Clint said suspiciously fingers ghosting over his collapsed bow.

"Loki is known for his trickery." The women sneered well her comrades looked uncomfortable now.

"Aside from not wanting to sleep Loki hasn't done anything wrong." Steve defended obviously not liking the woman's tone of voice.

"Mr. Banner and Mr. Friggason are nearing the hallway." JARVIS interrupted before the woman had a chance to retort, whether he did it on purpose or not was really anyone's guess.

Not wanting to cause a fight in front of Loki if he could help it Steve promised himself that this conversation wasn't over yet as the pair walked in a few minutes.

Loki just looked at the Asgardian's in front of him with confusion. "Who are you?"

 **Author's Note**

 **Hope everyone liked my Hela she's tricky to write I think, on the one hand, she's like a female Loki (that might be why Loki and her fight so much, they're too much alike) well on the other I didn't want her to be a Loki clone. And Garm is the guardian of Helheim's entrance I've seen pictures from both Norse drawings and the comics so I decided to use him.**

 **Next up will be Avengers then Asgard and I'll just rotate from there.**

 **Please don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought and I'll see you all again next time.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As soon as the words left Loki's mouth everyone got into a defensive position ready to protect the young god should these newcomers pose a threat.

"It seems that what Thor said about your memories was true Loki," the blonde spoke to the others raising one eyebrow. "Come now, don't remember your old pal Fandral?"

Loki just looked at the blonde studying his face seriously, much like he had with Thor before his eyes widened and Loki recognized just who was standing in front of him. Moving his gaze to look at the others Loki began to recognize the more mature versions of the children his brother called friends. In fact, the only one he couldn't place was the beautiful dark-haired woman who was looking back at him coldly.

"If you are indeed Fandral then that means they are Hogun and Volstagg," Loki said pointing a finger at each of the men as he said their names. "But where is Sif?"

The woman's frown deepened. "I am Sif."

"No," Loki shook his head. "Sif has hair that shines like pure gold, yours shimmers more like the night sky."

The Avengers watched with interest as each of the Asgardian males sucked in a sharp breath.

"Potential enemies right in front of him and the kid still takes the time to compliment a woman," Clint mumbled putting his arrow back in its quiver well Steve let out a small chuckle as he lowered his shield.

"Loki," Hogun answered getting the boys attention from the murderous looking Sif. Even though the five had never gotten along how Thor liked to believe they did Hogun still felt like there was some sort of unspoken truce between himself and the trickster to not start any fights with each other unless provoked. "There was an … accident with Sif's hair and afterwards it darkened to what you see now."

"Oh," Loki nodded accepting the information without any questions looking at Sif earnestly. "Maybe I can fix it later if that's alright with you?"

"Perhaps," Hogun spoke before Sif could speak knowing that it would be better for someone other than the female warrior to tell the tale rather than have to worry about Sif's own version of the events cloud the truth. "We brought you a chest from Thor and your mother."

"Really," Loki said practically beaming as he looked at the promised chest walking towards Hogun and holding out his hands. "May I please have it?"

"Of course." Hogun nodded passing the chest to Loki giving him a small ghost of a smile.

Happily taking the chest from the dark-haired Asgardian Loki just set it down on the ground in front of everyone and opened it pulling out miniaturized items intent on finding something.

Steve couldn't help but watch in amazement as whatever the boy pulled out grew in size the moment it was placed in the floor. "Loki, maybe you should do that in your room."

"Pardon," Loki said looking up at the captain before blushing slightly. "Oh I'm sorry; yes I'll do that in a moment I'm just looking for …. here it is."

"What is it?" Bruce asked looking at the small book in Loki's palm that grew larger a moment later, now becoming half the size of his body.

"A spell book," Loki grinned hugging the book tightly before placing it on the ground and starting to repack the chest, though a small fox plushie was placed on top of the book. "Now I can protect myself."

"What do you mean _to protect yourself_?" Clint asked not having heard the conversation between Bruce and Loki since the Asgardian's had shown up and distracted him.

"Umm, before I answer that I must apologize Hawkeye," Loki said looking at the archer putting on his most adorable face, the same one he most frequently used on mother whenever she caught him doing mischief. "I should not have run away from you, please forgive me."

Clint looked at the pleading face and was glad that Natasha wasn't here, the redhead would probably put him in another one of her patented Widow holds and force him to accept the apology. "No problem kid, just tell me next time somethings up ok?"

"Thank you," Loki beamed holding up the book again and showing it to everyone. "This book is all about protective runes. I was thinking that if I draw some in my room they should protect me from the creature when I sleep."

"Creature?" Volstagg repeated looking excited. "Thor never said anything about a creature."

"Something tried to take Loki when he was sleeping," Steve explained to the Asgardian's making that none of them looked even the slightest bit worried or scared at the news of the failed kidnapping.

"Wait so that's why you took off," Clint said looking at the trickster now cluing into why Loki was acting like such a brat earlier. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "Asgardian warriors don't admit to being afraid."

"Loki," Steve sighed kneeling down in front of the boy. "Everyone is afraid of something, for me its tight spaces and extreme cold but that doesn't mean I'm not trying to overcome them."

"So, it's ok to be afraid as long as you try to overcome it," Loki repeated sounding confused, this was not what Tyr had told him in training. "Like a personal quest."

"Something like that." Steve nodded ruffling the boy's hair like Bucky used to do with him when they were children.

"Surely you mortals jest," Sif said harshly drawing everyone's attention back to her again. "Fear is a weakness, and one that should not be admitted freely."

"Listen, lady," Clint frowned at the woman not liking her attitude. "I don't know what it's like up where you come from but here on Earth were ok with letting people know when something scares us."

"It is a wonder why Thor seems to like your realm so much," Sif growled narrowing her eyes at the archer. "You behave more like children then of warriors."

Never one to back down from a fight Clint took a step forward. "Don't think that I won't hit you just because you're a woman."

"Could you please not start a fight in the foyer Clint, we just got it fixed last month after Doom's attack," Tony's voice rang out making everyone turn towards the bottom of the staircase and seeing him standing there with Darcy and Jane.

Darcy waved down at the four trying not to let her annoyance show having heard most of what Sif had said. "Hey, guys nice to see you again." 

"How have you been?" Jane asked next to Darcy. "We haven't seen you since New Mexico."

"Ladies Darcy and Jane," Fandral grinned strutting over to the two women taking one of their hands and giving them a quick kiss and a flirty look. "You both still look as beautiful as ever."

"I take it you know them?" Bruce asked the women who both nodded.

"They're Thor's friends," Jane explained. "They warned us about the Destroyer back in Puente Antiguo."

"Hey dread pirate Robinson, what's the deal here Clint looks ready to start a fight," Darcy asked noting the angry look on the archer's face which was currently being directed at the blonde man beside her.

"Ahh well we are having a small dispute about whether a warrior should admit to being afraid," Fandral said giving the young brunette with his most dashing smile. "No need to worry your pretty head about it."

All the humans froze instantly knowing how badly Fandral had just screwed up well Darcy's face turned to stone. 

"Pardon."

"Lady Darcy," Fandral said seeing the frown and trying to stay in the young woman's good graces after all if he was going to be here for a while he might as well have some female company in the meantime. "What I mean is, unlike Sif you and Lady Jane are not warriors so the conversation would most likely mean very little to you."

"I see," Darcy hummed clenching her fist and quickly launching it forwards at the blonde Asgardian hitting him square in the nose. "I might not be a warrior but at least I'm not a pig like you."

"Darcy!" Jane gasped looking shocked at her friend's behaviour well the Avengers internally applauded her thinking that they should introduce the blonde to Natasha next.

"He deserved it talking like you and I are defenceless arm candy." Darcy hissed looking at the blonde man in anger wishing that she still had her trusty taser at the moment because she was pretty sure a few of her fingers were now broken. "When you finally marry the hobo god I'm introducing El Dorado women's rights."

"Ok people lets all just stay calm," Tony coughed looking amused at Jane's bright red face. "Darcy why don't you go put some ice on your hand."

"Whatever," Darcy shrugged noticing that Loki was now looking at her with awe. "Squirt you want to come with, I'll make you up some food."

"Yes, Lady Darcy," Loki nodded placing the chest on his book and picking them up following the young woman out of the room saying to her quietly. "You should let me look at your hand, I know some healing spells."

"I think I'm in love." Fandral proclaimed holding his nose watching the dark-haired pair exit the foyer.

"Just be glad Darcy didn't have her taser," Clint glared at the blonde not liking how his eyes followed Darcy as she left. "Rumour has it she dropped Thor with it."

"Then they are just that, rumours." Sif scoffed not believing for one moment that such a small untrained woman could take out her large warrior friend with this _taser_ as the archer called it.

"Actually, she did," Jane nodded causing the three of the four Asgardian's to look shocked; Hogun being the only one who remained indifferent to the news. "Thor had just landed and he was freaking her out so Darcy you know ..."

"Dropped him like a hot dish on a cold day." Tony chuckled imagining the God of Thunder being taken down by something as simple as a taser.

"Well, then I for one would love to see what sort of meal the Champion of Thor makes," Volstagg said looking longingly down the hall towards the kitchen. "Will, anyone join me?" 

"I will," Hogun said to his ever-hungry friend. "I'd like to talk to Loki more; he seems more open than when we last met him."

"Take care not to get taken into his lies," Sif warned causing all the Avengers and Jane to frown at her words.

Clint finally fed up with the woman's attitude decided that enough was enough. "Listen Sif was it, Loki's a right now kid so you either need to stop treating like he's a bomb about to blow or go home.

"Loki is the God of Lies mortal and unlike you and your ilk I am not going to fall for his ruse," Sif hissed glaring at the mortal archer ready to do battle should he continue pushing her. "It is bad enough he has Thor searching for those monster children of his n-"

"Children," Tony interrupted looking a little shocked at the news. "You mean Loki's a dad?""

"Tony, I know you read up on Norse mythology after Loki first showed up" Steve reminded the billionaire of all the books they had in the library on every kind of mythology from all over the world in case more so-called 'gods of old' made an appearance on earth again.

"Yeah but come on," Tony said looking at Steve. "After what we heard about Baldur I just figured it was all made up. So, wait he really has a horse for a son?"

"Not according to this he doesn't," Sif said handing over her rut sack to the mortal.

"Another piece of the puzzle arrives." Tony grinned opening the book inside only to frown when he realized it wasn't written in English.

"Huh," Bruce said looking over his friends' shoulder at the book. "Look's like JARVIS is going to have some translating to do."

"Or we could just ask the writer himself," Tony groaned impatiently not wanting to have to wait to see what secrets the book held.

Steve looked at his friend already seeing the inventor's wheels starting to spin like when he was trying to solve a new puzzle. "Tony unless you can get Loki to turn back into an adult without us havi-"

"Turn back," Sif interrupted realization dawning on her at what the mortal had meant. "You mean you've seen the trickster as he truly is and still you defend him."

"Actually, Thor saw him," Tony said looking down at the journal wondering if now would be a good time to finish that translation program he had been working on a few months prior for one of his historical preservation causes. "I have the video on file if you want to see."

"Tony," Steve said looking annoyed. "Did you have JARVIS record Loki and Thor's conversation at the Tower?"

Tony just not nodded not at all ashamed. "It was only in case Fury caused any problems which luckily he didn't."

"Was the eye thing true?" Clint asked seriously.

"Yup," Tony nodded now having more concrete evidence to his mind control theory. "Green and blue just like Thor said they were."

"Loki is a shapeshifter and a liar he could be tricking you with these actions." Sif insisted not understanding why everyone suddenly believed that Loki was anything but a monster.

"Enough Sif," Jane snapped looking ready to take a page out of Darcy's book and punch the Asgardian. "You have no right to condemn Loki like this. No matter what he's done in the past now isn't the time to let personal grudges get in the way of the larger problem."

"Personal grudges," Sif growled louder than before. "If you think I am allowing something so trivial to cloud my gaze then you have failed to realize that any problem we are now facing is because of Loki."

Bruce took off his glasses feeling a Hulk-related headache coming on. "You know I'm starting to see why Loki didn't return to Asgard when he escaped, if you're the people he would have had to come to for help he might have been better off with his kidnappers."

"Seconded," Tony added.

Rounding on the men the lone female warrior growled. "You have no idea what's he's capable of."

"I do," Clint said seriously. "I was one of the people Loki unmade when he showed up here five years ago."

"He threw me out the window of my own tower."

"And used me as a pawn to hurt my friends."

"Not to mention that Loki embodied everything I ever fought against in the war."

"And he even tried to kill me because I got close to Thor." Jane finished lastly.

"Loki has done all this stuff to us," Clint said to the shocked Asgardians. "But hearing about Baldur and what you guys did to him afterwards let us see that he isn't all to blame. **Your** people twisted him so much inside that I'm surprised that there was anything left of the kid for Loki to change back to."

"And if any of the things with his children are true then you can bet that Loki's actions were a long time coming." Tony shuddered remembering what he had read about the fates of Loki's children.

The four warriors were silent each taking in what the mortals had said and given it serious thought. 

"How can you forgive him after all he's done?" Hogun asked out of confusion.

"We haven't, at least not fully" Clint admitted crossing his arms over his chest. "But I for one can acknowledge that if things had been different each of us could have become him."

"Then I Hogun the Grim ask you permission to stay here and protect Loki with you," Hogun said standing straight.

"As do I Fandral the Dashing."

"And I Volstagg the Valiant."

Sif stood there feeling like she and the others were standing on opposites sides of a canyon. "I Lady Sif will obey my King and also ask to stay."

"Well then," Tony said looking at everyone and clapping his hands. "Let's head to the kitchen and see what Darcy is cooking up shall we."

"We would greatly enjoy that …." Volstagg asked realizing that he had never gotten to mortal's names. "I'm sorry, what are your names again?

Each of the Avengers introduced themselves wondering what Thor had told his friends about them given how their eyes would light up whenever they gave their hero names.

"It is an honour to meet you all then," Fandral grinned having so many questions for the mortals. "Thor has told us many stories about you Avengers."

"Come let's hurry and see what feast Lady Darcy has prepared for us," Volstagg said following Steve down the hall towards the kitchen looking very excited at the prospect of food.

Tony took up the rear of the group ducking inside the closet study to drop off the rut sack praying that the Asgardians didn't eat as much as Thor, otherwise he would have to drop the billionaire in his list of titles.

 **Author's Note**

 **Sorry, it took so long to get this up every time I sat down to write work would call up saying someone had gone home sick or never showed up and wanted to know if I could come in. I'm not complaining mind you I need the money but when your plans are suddenly interrupted it can get to you after a while.**

 **Up next we return to Asgard.**

 **Please don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you thought and I'll see you all again next to.**


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